


You & I (Larry Stylinson)

by thirlmalik



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, BoyxBoy, Denial, Elounor, Explicit Language, F/M, Graphic Sex, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Kinky sex, M/M, Masturbation, Modest Management - Freeform, anger issues, character acceptance, innuendos, larry stylinson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-06 07:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 71,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1849444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirlmalik/pseuds/thirlmalik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis and Harry were bandmates. Sure they had a friendship, but it wasn't as strong as it had been in the early days of their career. Louis had been growing apart from Harry for over three months when Harry finally had enough. When Harry writes a song about loving someone he can't have, Louis' curiosity rises. After finding out something major, Louis is torn between letting his love for his best mate show through or keeping it under cover. The one thing he doesn't know is who Harry has written the song for, titling it, You & I.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Louis' P.O.V.

"Please stop pushing me." I sighed. Harry and Liam were sat next to me in the car having an arm wrestling match. Liam was obviously winning, considering he was the bulkiest of the group.

"Sorry." Harry mumbled. He returned his attention to Liam and I closed my eyes, resting my head against the window.

"You okay?" Zayn whispered, setting his chin on the top of my seat.

"Fine." I said, my eyes still closed.

"You sure?"

"I'm positive." I crossed my arms and opened one eye. "Just a bit tired, that's all." He patted my shoulder and sat back in his seat, starting a conversation with Niall. I couldn't believe the boys had actually thought that I was just tired all of the time. I mean, yeah, I was tired. But it wasn't the exhaustion type of tired. I was just sick of everything. I was sick of being the odd man out and being known as the one with the weakest voice. I was sick of people asking if I was depressed or why Harry and I weren't friends anymore. I was sick of Harry. I hated sharing a hotel room and a flat with him. I even hated sitting next to him. The only reason we still lived together was because he didn't know that I hated all of this. I wasn't particularly friendly toward him, but I wasn't a dick either.

"I can't wait to be home again." Harry said, turning to me. I just smiled and he realized I wasn't in the mood to talk. We had just left the airport after returning from a two month long tour in America. I wasn't going to lie, the idea of being home was quite appealing. The idea of being with Harry, well, not so much.

"Okay. What's the first thing you're going to do when you get home?" Liam asked us.

"Sleep." Zayn replied.

"Yeah, sleep." Niall and Harry agreed.

"Louis?" I opened my eyes and turned my head to find Harry staring at me, quickly looking away after I'd noticed him.

"Sleep."

"Hmm, am I the only person who was going to spend some time with their girlfriend?" Liam laughed. We nodded and he groaned.

"You and Zayn are the only two with girlfriends, Liam. Don't get too upset." Niall added.

"Harry, have you got your eye on anyone lately?" He didn't respond and Zayn grinned. My stomach squirmed a little from the fact that he did actually fancy someone.

"What's her name?" He asked excitedly. Of course it would be a girl. Why wouldn't it be?

"I don't have anyone to talk about, actually." His mood had changed from giddy to sullen within the past minute. I knew he liked someone. Fuck him and his secretive-ness.

"Come on, Harry. It's not like we'll tell anyone." I nudged his arm and his eyes lit up.

"It's no one." He said, his eyes boring into mine. 

"I know love when I see it and you're obviously swooning over someone." The words coming out of my mouth made me cringe, but I couldn't be obvious about all of this. The more intrigued about his love life I sounded, the smaller the chance of the boys suspecting things.

"I said it's no one." He said loudly. Our questioning came to a halt and an uncomfortable silence settled in the car. 

"Sorry, mate. We were only joking." Zayn frowned.

"I just don't want to talk about it right now, yeah?" He closed his eyes and laid his head back. We nodded and Liam, Niall, and Zayn began their own conversation. Why was Harry so upset about his current love interest? The thought bounced around in my mind and I knew that it was going to drive me insane.

Pretty soon we were pulling up to the flat that Harry and I shared. We got out of the car and retrieved our suitcases from the back.

"Bye." The boys said in unison. We waved and headed up to the large stone building, the arrival almost bittersweet. We lived in an apartment so the fans couldn't find us as easily. Smart, right? The elevator ride was silent, as was the walk to our door. Harry opened the door for me and I sighed when I walked into the living room, the smell of home instantly hitting me and giving me a feeling of comfort.

"God it's great to be home."

"Tell me about it." He shut the door and almost immediately made his way back to his room. Our rooms were across the hall from each other, his on the right and mine on the left. Mine was the messy one, his the pristine one. We were exact opposites when it came to that, really.

I followed him, pushing my suitcase into my room then turning around to walk back to the kitchen. When I turned around, I bumped into something warm and I realized it was Harry's chest.

"Sorry." We said at the same time. He put his hands on my chest to push himself away and my heart fluttered. His hands were so large and slender.

"What are you doing?" I snapped.

"I'm sorry." He quickly pulled his hands away and walked down the hall, leaving me hating myself in the hallway. We met up in the kitchen and I groaned when I remembered that we had no food. That was the downside of coming home from a long tour.

"Harry, there's no food in this house."

"Pizza?" He suggested. I shrugged and he grabbed the phone, dialing the restaurant. He ordered our dinner -a medium sausage and pepperoni pizza- and we sat down on the couch, the distance between us making things more uncomfortable than it should have been. This whole arrival had been awkward for some reason. After his little outburst in the car he hadn't really made eye contact with me.

"Louis?" He asked, tearing me from my thoughts. I looked at him and he continued. "Why aren't we friends anymore?" The look on his face made me feel like an actual lump of shit.

"We are friends."

"You know what I mean." He nervously played with his fingers, looking at his lap. "You barely interacted with me the entire tour. Did I do something?" Fuck. I held my breath before responding.

"No. You didn't. It was, uh, it was my fault. It is my fault." That was true. I wanted to avoid Harry and it had somewhat worked. I didn't realize that he had missed me as much as he did. I had made it my mission to get him to dislike me, not miss me.

"Why are you pushing me away?" His voice broke a little at the end, making me feel even worse. Great. I had hurt him.

"I... I'm not."

"Yes you are Louis. Don't sit there and lie to me. You were my best friend and you left. I couldn't ask you about this while we were on tour because I didn't want us to get in a fight and have to deal with it on stage. So tell me now." He was angry and I was guilty. I hated making him upset.

"You want to be best friends again? Okay. Just don't hate me when what I've been avoiding actually happens." I stood up and walked back to my room, slamming the door behind me. "Jesus Christ." I sighed. I walked to my bed and threw myself down on the mattress, laying there until I heard a knock at my door.

"Dinner's here." Harry mumbled. I heard him walk down the hall and I slid off my bed and walked to the door. I couldn't be best friends with him. I would only be hurting myself in the process. But if we weren't friends, I was hurting Harry. I wasn't sure which was a worse feeling. I opened the door and made my way to the kitchen, grabbing a slice of pizza when I entered. We awkwardly sat at the counter, avoiding each other as much as possible. Just as I finished my last slice, Harry broke the silence. "Sorry for blowing up earlier. I'm just a bit stressed and I miss you." He rubbed his eye and my insides melted. Without thinking, I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. My face was buried in his chest and he tightened our embrace.

"I'm sorry I'm such a selfish dick." I muttered into him. He pulled away and we were back to the awkward atmosphere.

"Yeah, you are." He laughed. I smiled and he dumped his plate in the trash. "I'm going to go shower, so, yeah." He pressed his lips together then turned around and walked into his room. Things used to be so natural between us. We would hug like it was nothing and we shared everything. The lads accused us of being gay a couple times, but we just laughed it off. Then the fans got in on it and it kind of freaked me out. I started thinking about it more and more, leading to me drifting apart from Harry. I didn't want people to think I was gay. They'd already had enough against me. It took Harry a couple months to realize I was pushing him away and he was so confused. He still had no idea why I did it and I would never let him know.

I walked back to my room and decided to take a shower as well. After I finished, I walked back into my room in nothing but my boxers and plopped down on the bed. I opened my laptop and began scrolling through Twitter. The fans still believed Harry and I were in a relationship and I could tell that they were glad we were home alone. I followed a couple people and continued looking through my timeline. My door opened and I jumped, receiving a laugh from Harry.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine." I shut my laptop and looked at him. "What do you need?"

"I... I just wanted to know if you wanted to watch a movie or something." He said sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah, sure." I stood up and his eyes widened a bit. "I should probably put some pants on first."

"Yeah, you should." He said, swallowing. He walked out of my room and I put on a pair of plaid pajama pants. I entered the living room to find Harry rummaging through our collection of movies. "You've Got Mail or The Amazing Spiderman?" He asked.

"Harry, why the hell would I want to watch a chick flick?" I asked, sitting down next to him. He looked at me and I sighed. "You've Got Mail." I mumbled. He grinned and popped it into the DVD player. After doing so, he came over to the couch and sat down next to me.

"I've actually missed your company, you know." He said quietly. I stayed silent for a few seconds before responding.

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"For over two months? Would you like to talk about it?"

"No, not really. I'm not even sure what's going on, so I don't think the conversation would be beneficial." I brought my legs up on the couch and pulled them next to me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Harry." I sighed. He nodded and returned his attention to the screen. We didn't really talk for the rest of the movie. Harry fell asleep halfway through, his head falling to my shoulder. I eventually dozed off too, the thought of having Harry back racing through my mind.

When I woke up something heavy was laying on top of me. I didn't remember having a girl over... I opened my eyes to find Harry sprawled across my bare chest. My heart rate increased and I knew I had to get him off of me. I tapped his chest, which was also bare, hoping he'd wake up. His eyes slowly opened and a grin spread across his face.

"Good morning, Louis." He said cheerfully. He pulled himself up a little so his face was inches away from mine. "Did you sleep well?" My breath caught in my throat as he rested his forehead on mine. "I know I did." He smirked then pushed himself off of me, leaving me utterly bewildered. "I'll make us some breakfast." He yelled from the kitchen. I sat up and ran a hand through my hair, wondering what the hell just happened. There was a fine line between friendly banter and flirting, and Harry had taken a giant leap over it. I stood up and made my way into the kitchen, seeing Harry pouring cereal into a bowl. He saw me enter and smiled. "We have no milk, so dry cereal is the main course." He slid a bowl to my side of the counter and I took a seat.

"You're quite the chef." I said, taking a bite of the somewhat stale Frosted Flakes.

"I try my best." He sat down next to me and began scrolling through his phone. "What are you doing on your first day off?"

"I hadn't really planned anything." I said, taking another bite. "I was just going to stay inside and enjoy some alone time."

"That's exactly what I was going to do. How strange." He smiled before shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"We have plenty of movies left."

"We also have our imaginations."

"I'm thinking ultimate hide and seek is in our future." I smiled.

"God, we haven't done that in so long." We laughed at the memory of us playing in the X-Factor house and driving everyone completely mad.

"Then I say we do it." I took one last bite then set my bowl in the sink. "Let me put a shirt on first." I walked back to my room and fished a shirt out of my drawer. I wasn't sure if I could be this close with Harry again or not. The last time I was, it ended badly. I just hoped the outcome wasn't the same this time around.


	2. Chapter Two

Louis' P.O.V.

"Ready or not here I come!" I yelled, jumping off of the couch. It had been so long since we'd actually had fun together, I'd forgotten how much I loved it. "I bet you're hiding in my room you prick." I turned into my room and looked behind the door. I heard a muffled laugh from under my bed and I rolled my eyes. "My god, you're awful at this game." I got on my hands and knees and crawled to my bed, lifting up the comforter so I could see underneath. "Hi, Harry."

"I'm not under here." He said, smiling.

"Come out. You know your punishment for your awful hiding spot." He groaned and pushed himself out from under the bed. The idea of ultimate hide and seek was that the person found had to be tickled until they told the seeker how great of a person they were. We had made the game up during the X-Factor so the rules were very juvenile. I gave Harry a wicked grin before diving my hands into his sides, knowing exactly where his ticklish spots were. "What do you say, Harry?" I teased.

"I refuse to say it!" He said, laughing between words. His laugh was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, even though he hated it. He squirmed underneath me, barely breathing from laughing so hard.

"You're going to piss on me if you don't say it soon." I pinched his side and he jerked beneath me.

"You are the hottest, smartest, and best singer I've ever met and I wish I could be you!" He choked out. I removed my hands, my knees still on either side of his waist.

"You think I'm hot?" I cocked my head to the side and his face reddened.

"I didn't mean to say that."

"I'm flattered." I lightly tapped his cheek before standing up. "I think this was my final round. I'm going to go lay down and take a nap." I joked.

"But Louis." He whined. "I was having fun."

"You can go over to Liam's and play it with him. You guys are best friends now, yeah?" I laid down on my bed and rubbed my eyes. I hated how Harry had replaced me, but I guess I did bring this upon myself.

"We will never be as close as you and I were, Lou." Harry said, standing up. "Ever." I opened my eyes to find Harry standing over me. "You know you'll always be my best friend, even if you are avoiding me for some strange reason." He sat down next to me and nudged my leg. The fact that he still felt this way made me feel awful. I was hurting him.

"There's a reason for everything, you know." I muttered.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Then when are we going to talk about it?" He pushed.

"Never."

"Fine." We laid in silence for a couple minutes before I suddenly threw my arms around his stomach. I needed him. "I'm not sure why I'm hugging you right now." I said, confused.

"I don't mind." I shrugged and laid my head on his shoulder. I felt bad for leaving him hanging when he wanted to know what he had done to make me leave. I had to admit, I really missed his company.

"People thought we were gay, Harry." I whispered. He looked down at me, confused. "Didn't you see all of that shit?"

"That's why you hated me?" He sat up, letting me fall off of him. "Because people thought we were gay?" I nodded and he glared at me. "Seriously? I thought I had done something! So there I was, going to bed every night worrying about what the hell I'd said or done to you, and it was a rumor that had you so upset?" I nodded again and he sighed. "Why couldn't you tell me that?"

"I don't want people to think we're gay. They already have enough shit to hate me for."

"Like what?"

"I'm the worst singer in the group, apparently I'm an asshole because I don't interact with the fans as much as I used to, I'm labeled as the ugly one, there's just so much shit that I can't control and they hate me for it!" It felt nice to finally talk to someone about everything. I'd been holding all of it in for months, and it all came pouring out in front of poor Harry. "I've done nothing wrong but people can only find the bad in me. It's bullshit. If people think I'm gay, that's just another thing for them to hate me for." I crossed my arms and glared at the duvet. Harry took in everything I said before responding.

"Are you gay?" He asked seriously.

"What? No! That's why I don't want people to think I am!" I said, tugging on my hair.

"So it would completely gross you out if I kissed you right now?" He asked, sitting up. My stomach exploded with butterflies and I was speechless. "You aren't saying anything." He leaned closer, eyeing my lips. I was frozen. The adrenaline pumping through my veins had paralyzed me. Harry was about to kiss me. His lips were centimeters away from mine when we were interrupted by his phone ringng. He closed his eyes and pulled away, taking out his phone. "I... I'm sorry." He walked out of the room and into his, slamming his door shut. I sat on the bed with my mouth open, wondering what the hell just happened. 

 

Harry's P.O.V.

I slammed the door to my room and threw myself onto the bed, answering my phone. "Hi, Liam." I sighed, holding back tears.

"Harry? What's wrong?" He sounded concerned.

"Nothing. Why did you call?"

"Uh, well, I was just wondering if you and Louis wanted to go out to dinner with the group. Perrie and Sophia are coming as well. You can bring a date if you'd like." I groaned and shut my eyes. "Is that a no?"

"No, no, I'll go. Louis will go too."

"You didn't even ask him." He laughed.

"He's going." I said flatly.

"Okay... Are you two still not getting along?"

"We were until about five minutes ago." I huffed. "Where are we going and what time."

"Um, The Ivy and in about an hour. Meet us there at 6 and you'll be good."

"Thanks, Liam. I'm going to go now."

"Do you want to talk about you and Louis?"

"No." I said sharply.

"Okay. Well, see you later. Don't bicker for the rest of the night, please."

"Bye." I hung up and threw my phone on the floor. Why the hell did I try to kiss Louis? He was my best mate! Well, he used to be. That made it even worse. God, we were just getting close again and I had to fuck it up. Hopefully he would just brush it off. Somehow I knew he wouldn't. No guy tries to kiss their guy friend and gets away with it. Louis hated the rumors about us being gay and now he probably thought I was gay. Was I? No, I couldn't be. Just because I was curious about kissing Louis does not mean that I'm gay, right? My mind was swirling with thoughts of Louis' lips. I was so close to kissing him. Maybe if it happened just one time the thought would go away. I needed to kiss him to remind myself that kissing guys is gross. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. I threw my covers over myself and buried my face in my pillow. I was so confused. 

 

Louis' P.O.V.

I heard Harry tell Liam that we would be going somewhere and I was dreading it. I couldn't face Harry for a while. My hormones were going crazy after he left and they still hadn't died down. His lips were so close. Why couldn't he just close the gap? I shook my head to rid myself of the thought. I didn't like Harry. It wasn't possible. I liked girls. He was probably joking and now thought I was a freak for not pushing him away. This is why I had put a distance between us before. He made my heart thump and I hated it. I didn't want to have feelings for my best mate. I thought that if I would just ignore him they would go away. It had sort of worked for a while, but then they came back. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he actually had kissed me. I was itching to feels his lips on mine just once. Maybe the feelings would go away if I kissed him and realized how gross it is to kiss guys.

I was very confused as to why he even tried to kiss me. I knew he was straight because he would always flirt with girls and take them on dates. Not once has he ever flirted with a guy. He's flirted with me but that's it. When he did flirt with me, it was just him being stupid. That's what this whole thing was. It was just him being his stupid self and trying to get a laugh out of me. Instead of me laughing, I was left questioning my sexuality and a little turned on. I groaned and stood up, grabbing my phone off of the nightstand. I dialed Liam to ask for details about the night.

"Hi Liam."

"Hey, Louis, what's up?" It sounded like Sophia was with him and I rolled my eyes.

"What time is dinner? I heard you and Harry talking about it."

"Are you two not speaking?"

"Um, well, not at the moment. Can you just tell me what time I need to be there?" I groaned.

"Six."

"Thank you."

"Sure. Can you do me a favor?" He asked quietly.

"That depends."

"Please don't shut Harry out again. He misses you." I hesitated before answering.

"Okay." I said, half-lying.

"Thank you. See you later."

I said goodbye and hung up. If Liam knew what we had just done, I guarantee he wouldn't have asked me to be nice. His two bandmates were about to kiss and luckily he had stopped it before it happened. Did I wish he hadn't have called? No, I did not want to kiss Harry. I had to get that image out of my head before it ruined me. I was starting to fear that I actually was gay and the fans were right all along. I needed to find a girl. I scrolled through my contacts before I found who I was looking for. Eleanor Calder. I pressed call and she answered almost immediately.

"Louis?" Her sweet voice echoed.

"Hi, Eleanor."

"What do you need?"

"Well, um, would you like to come to dinner with the lads and I? Perrie and Sophia will be there as well. It's in about forty minutes." I nervously paced my room, praying that she'd say yes.

"I wish you would've called me sooner considering I've just finished a jog, but that would be lovely."

"I'll pick you up at 5:50?" I suggested.

"That's perfect."

"Okay, great. I'll see you there." We said our goodbyes and I tossed my phone onto the bed. Eleanor and I had met in a coffee shop one day and quickly became friends. I had never made a move on her because I simply didn't like her in that way. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't really had a crush on a girl in months. Harry was the only person who could make my heart race. I mentally cursed at myself for thinking such things and looked through my closet for something to wear. I decided on a blue button up and black skinny jeans with a pair of black Vans. I fixed my hair in the mirror and by the time I was done getting ready it was 5:40. I needed to tell Harry about picking Eleanor up. I took a breath before knocking on his door.

"Harry?" I said softly. I heard rustling then the door clicked open. He was wearing a black button up, which was buttoned all the way, and black skinny jeans, his black boots going perfectly with the rest of his attire. He looked wonderful.

"Yeah."

"Um, we need to pick up Eleanor in, like, ten minutes. She lives maybe five minutes away, so, yeah." This was awkward. His eyebrows furrowed and he almost looked disappointed.

"Okay. I'll be out soon."

"Okay." He began to shut the door but I stopped it with my foot. "Oh, and Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You look nice." My cheeks burned and he gave me a small smile.

"Thanks, Lou. You look pretty good yourself." I smiled and closed the door, walking to the living room to wait on him. After about five minutes, he came out of his room ready to go.

"I'll drive." I said, walking out the door. "You'll need to sit in the back, though." He nodded and we made our way to the elevator. Once we were in the car, there was an awkward silence.

"So, you and Eleanor?" He said faintly.

"No, I just, uh, thought she might want to come along." Or I wanted to convince myself that I wasn't gay.

"Oh. I see." We were silent for the rest of the ride, Eleanor making the tension more bearable once she joined us. We arrived at the restaurant and I placed my arm around Eleanor's waist as we walked in. That was going to be all over the tabloids within the next 24 hours. We found the rest of the lads and joined them.

"What's this? Louis has a date?" Perrie joked. Eleanor and I just smiled, making Perrie clap her hands together in excitement. "You two are too cute!" I saw Harry flinch next to me and I kicked his foot.

"You okay?" I whispered.

"I'm fine." He said flatly. This was going to be an interesting night.


	3. Chapter Three

Louis' P.O.V. 

We had finished eating and decided to stay for a while and chat. Harry and Niall were the only two without dates, so they were in their own conversation. 

"So, Louis." Sophia began. "When did you and Eleanor become an item?"

"I, um, we're just friends." I said nervously. Eleanor nodded and smiled.

"He just asked if I wanted to come along. We aren't really an item." She clarified. I let out a breath and smiled. I was glad she didn't think I wanted to actually date her. 

"Damn it! I thought you two looked cute together!" Perrie said, disappointed. 

"I second that." Niall said, joining in on our conversation. Harry glared at him and I wondered what the hell his problem was. 

"I can see it." Liam added. Sophia and Zayn nodded and Harry was the only one who disagreed. 

"I don't see it at all." Everyone looked at him and began laughing, thinking it was a joke. "I'm not joking. If you'll excuse me I'm going to go use the restroom." He pushed his chair back and stood up before walking back to the restrooms. 

"What's wrong with Harry?" Zayn asked. 

"He's probably just got a lot on his mind." I said. 

"He must like you, Eleanor." Sophia raised her eyebrows and smiled. "He's jealous." 

"Me? He barely knows me!" Eleanor laughed. "If he likes anyone it's probably Louis!" Everyone chuckled and my cheeks flushed. 

"Harry's not gay." I said. 

"He's definitely jealous of one of you." Liam said, taking a drink. "What happened between you guys anyway? He sounded pretty upset when I called him earlier." I stayed silent for a few seconds before responding.

"I don't think now is an appropriate time to talk about this."

"You should go talk to him." Perrie suggested.

"That's probably not a good idea."

"Stop being a pussy and do it." Niall urged. I scowled before shoving my chair back and standing up. 

"If I come back with a black eye it's your fault." I walked back to the men's room and opened the door. "Harry?" I whispered.

"What." He was at the sinks and I let out a sigh of relief. 

"What's wrong?" I asked, stepping closer to him. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I'm not stupid, Harry. I know something's up." 

"I'm not telling you." He tried to walk past me but I stopped him. 

"I told you why I put some space between us. You're going to tell me what's wrong. I thought we were trying to become close again." 

"I don't think that's a good idea anymore." He muttered. 

"Why not?" I crossed my arms waiting for a response.

"Why don't you just go back out with your girlfriend Eleanor and leave me alone?" He snapped. 

"She's not my girlfriend. And even if she was, why would that bother you so much? Do you like her? You can have her!" 

"I don't want Eleanor." He said dryly. 

"Then what's got you so pissed off?" I asked. "We were doing great earlier. Is this because of what almost happened between us?" I lowered my voice. He stayed silent and looked at the floor. "It is, isn't it?" Was Eleanor right? Did Harry like me? He couldn't. "Did you actually want to kiss me?" I whispered. He tucked his lips in and kept his eyes on the floor. "Oh my god." I ran my hand through my hair, my mouth agape. 

"You can go now." He mumbled. I stayed put and he looked up at me, confused. "Don't just stand there." 

"I'm going to tell the boys that we're leaving." I said, my voice breaking. Harry gave me a bewildered look before I pushed past him and out the door. I walked to the table and everyone looked at me. 

"And?" Eleanor asked.

"We're going to leave." I stated. 

"Is everything okay?" Niall asked. I nodded and Eleanor stood up. 

"I just think it's best if we go home." I needed to clear my head and being around them wasn't going to help anything. 

"It was lovely talking with you guys." Eleanor said sweetly. We said goodbye and met Harry at the entrance. He avoided my eyes the entire walk to the car. "That was fun. Your friends are great." Eleanor beamed. 

"That's why they're my friends." I laughed. She laughed too and I saw Harry roll his eyes. We made small talk for the rest of the drive before dropping Eleanor off. 

"Thank you for taking me on this... whatever it was." She said as I walked her to her door. She leaned in and I began to panic. "I think Harry likes you. Try him before you start spending time with me." She whispered before kissing my cheek. 

"I'm not-"

"Just try it." She unlocked her door and gave me a small wave. I said goodbye and walked back to the car. Harry had moved to the front seat and was staring out the window. The ride home was completely silent, an awkward tension filling the car. When we stepped into the flat, Harry immediately began to walk to his room. "Just try it." Eleanor's words ran through my mind and I grabbed Harry's arm. 

"What?! What do you want?!" He yelled. I flinched back and he glared at me. "If you're going to yell at me or make fun of me, save it." He turned around again and I gained confidence.

"Harry, just listen to me god damn it!" He stopped in his tracks and faced me. "Why are you so upset about all of this? Do you think I'm mad at you?" He didn't respond and that confirmed my suspicions. "Why would I be mad at you? I don't care what your sexual preferences are." 

"Are you calling me gay?" He stepped forward. 

"No! I just... I thought..." I trailed off.

"I'm not gay, Louis." 

"Then why did you want to kiss me?" I asked softly.

"I never said I did." He mumbled. 

"Don't lie to me right now. I need the truth and only the truth. Did you really want to kiss me earlier or was that a stupid joke?" 

"Why does it matter? Are you like, in love with me or something?" He spat. Something in me clicked and I began to get angry. 

"Just answer my fucking question!" 

"Yes Louis! Yes I wanted to kiss you! Yes that's what's been bothering me! Why is it such a big deal?!" He threw his arms up in frustration. "Jesus Christ." He sighed. I stood there in shock. Harry actually said that he wanted to kiss me. For some reason, that made my heart flutter. I stepped closer to him, each step making my heart race even more. 

"Then do it." I was inches away from him, his breath fanning over my face. He was a couple inches taller than me, so he was looking down at me. 

"What?" 

"Do it." He hesitated before nervously lowering his lips to mine. They hovered over mine for a second before he finally did it. Electricity shot through me the second our lips met, completely catching me off guard. I began kissing back and he rested his hands on my hips. This wasn't nearly as awkward as I'd thought it would be. I was kissing my best friend and I actually enjoyed it. Maybe Eleanor was right after all. He pulled away and frowned. 

"I'm sorry." 

"It's okay." I said, nudging his foot with mine. 

"I'm going to go shower now." 

"I am as well." We went our separate ways and my head was spinning. I finally kissed Harry. After all of those months I spent fantasizing about it, it had finally happened. But my feelings didn't go away like I thought they would. They were stronger than ever. I hopped in the shower and washed my hair, thinking about Harry the entire time. When I finished, I brushed my teeth and threw on sweatpants and a t-shirt. I walked into the living room to watch tv and Harry was already on the couch. "What are you watching?" I asked, plopping down next to him.

"I'm not sure. It's not very entertaining though." He was avoiding eye contact once again and I could tell he wasn't sure how to act around me. "Niall texted me and said we're supposed to go in tomorrow and write a song or something." 

"We need more?" Our album was nearly finished. We already had 17 songs picked out for it. Apparently they wanted an even number and the rest of the material wasn't good enough.

"One more." 

"Great." I opened my phone and saw that I had a text from Eleanor.

'Did you take my advice?'

I smiled before responding.

'That's for me to know and you to find out :)'

"I'm thinking we need a slow song." Harry said suddenly. "We don't have very many and the girls go ape shit for those things."

"Yeah." There was an awkward silence and both of us looked at our phones. "I don't want things to be awkward now." 

"Okay."

"We're just friends. We kissed but we were just curious. That's all." I confirmed.

"Yep." 

"I'm not gay and you're not gay."

"Not at all." We sat there for another minute before Harry spoke. "We aren't telling the boys about any of this."

"I agree." He scooted closer to me and looked at me. 

"Did you, um, did you, you know. Did you enjoy it?" He stuttered. I thought about his question for a minute. I did enjoy it, but if I told him that he'd think I was gay.

"It wasn't terrible. I mean, I've never kissed a guy before so I have nothing to compare it to." I laughed. "What about you?"

"Um, same." He looked back at the screen and sighed. I should've known our friendship wouldn't be the same after that kiss. I felt my phone vibrate and saw Eleanor's name on the screen. 

'I won't tell...'

'Yes I did. Now its really awkward sitting here with him.' I pressed send and saw Harry looking at me. He quickly looked away when he saw me. 

"Harry, seriously. It's fine."

"I just feel a bit awkward knowing I've kissed my best friend." He admitted. 

"We were just starting to get close again, so let's move past it and pretend it never happened." His face dropped a little and he nodded. 

"Okay." We watched tv in silence, neither of us looking at the other again. After about 30 minutes, we decided to go to bed. 

"Goodnight." I said to Harry as he walked into his room.

"Goodnight, Lou." He shut the door and I stood outside of it for a few seconds. I wasn't sure why I did. Maybe I thought Harry would come back and kiss me or something. I walked into my own room and shut the door behind me before diving under the covers. So much had happened today that I was exhausted. I sent Eleanor a goodnight text before attempting to fall asleep. 

 

"Lou." I felt someone shaking me and I opened my eyes to find Harry standing next to me. "You need to get up. We need to be at the studio at 11." I groaned and shoved my face into the pillow. "You've got thirty minutes to get ready." He poked my cheek before turning around and walking out of the room. I pushed my duvet back and walked to my closet, browsing through my shirts. I threw on a blue t-shirt with black patterns on it and a pair of black jeans. I put a gray beanie on then brushed my teeth before heading out to the living room. 

"I'm up and we've still got twenty minutes to kill. Have anything planned?" Harry stood up from the couch and set his phone down, his eyes skimming down my body. Was he checking me out? 

"No, I don't." He looked incredible wearing all black. I gulped and nodded. 

"Okay then. Guess I'll have some dry cereal then we can leave. We really need to get some food soon." I entered the kitchen and went straight for the cabinet, taking out a box of Froot Loops. 

"Can I have a bowl too?" He said, giving me a cheeky grin. He sat down at the counter and watched me pour our breakfast. 

"Here." I shoved a spoon into the bowl and slid it to him.

"Thank youuu." He sang. I sat down next to him and began eating the rather disgusting breakfast I'd found. 

"This tastes like cardboard." I laughed.

"Yeah, but I'm starving so I'll eat it anyway." We ate our breakfast then decided it was time to leave. Harry hopped in the driver's seat and I groaned. 

"You're an awful driver."

"I am offended." He said, starting the car. I climbed into the passenger seat and grabbed Harry's phone. 

"I get to choose the music." I scrolled through his music before settling on The City by Ed Sheeran. 

"You're lucky you didn't choose something shitty. I would've dumped you on the side of the road."

"You would never do that." 

"You're right. I love you too much to leave you alone." He rested his hand on my knee and a smile spread across my face. I didn't say anything and he kept it there. My body responded to his touch so well that it scared me. These feelings were going to kill me if I didn't act upon them soon.


	4. Chapter Four

Louis' P.O.V.

We finally pulled into the studio parking lot and quickly entered the building, not wanting to be late. We walked into the recording room to find the rest of the boys waiting on us. "It seems like we're always waiting on you two." Zayn laughed.

"Sorry, mate. I slept in." I said taking a seat next to Niall.

"It really is a good thing that you two live together." Liam laughed, "Otherwise, Louis would be late for every single event we go to."

"Hey! I wake up on time a lot!" I fought.

"Yeah, because I'm there." Harry said, sitting next to me.

"Can we just start writing so we can leave." I groaned.

"That's the spirit." Niall grinned.

"I was thinking we need a slow song. We don't have as many on this album as the other two." Harry suggested.

"I agree." Zayn said.

"Okay, well, we need some inspiration here." I said bluntly.

"Love." Niall said simply.

"Well no shit." I rolled my eyes.

"Someone wants to be with another person, but they're afraid of what others will say." Harry said quietly. We looked at him and he shrugged. "Just a suggestion."

"I think we can work with that." I wondered if he was talking about me. Who was I kidding. He wouldn't want to actually be with me. He was just curious about kissing a guy.

"Something like," Harry began to sing.

"You and I

We don't wanna be like them

We can make it till the end

No, nothing can come between

You and I,

Not even the gods above

can separate the two of us

No, nothing can come between

You and I,

Oh, you and I."

He stopped singing and we stared at him. "Where the hell did that come from?" Niall asked.

"I was thinking about it last night and thought it sounded okay. I understand if you think it's awful." He bowed his head.

"I thought it was great." I said. His head shot up and he looked at me.

"Really?" I nodded and he smiled.

"I did too." Liam added. Niall and Zayn agreed and Harry's face lit up.

"I think we've found our final song!" I cheered. We spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the song. Whenever I pitched in a line, I knew it was about Harry. A couple of the songs on the album that I'd written had been about him.

"What's the song called?" Zayn asked. Harry and I looked at each other and he smiled.

"You and I." His eyes didn't leave mine and my heart leaped in my chest.

"I like that." I tore my gaze away from his and saw the other boys staring at us.

"Yeah, that's good." Liam said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"You know what would be fun?" Niall said giddily.

"What?" We said at the same time.

"A sleepover."

"This isn't primary school, Niall." Zayn laughed.

"We haven't had one in so long! It'd be sick!"

"I actually have a date tonight. Maybe tomorrow night?" Liam suggested.

"No, I'm going to dinner with Perrie. Let's do it the night after that." Zayn said.

"Friday it is. I'll mark my calendar." I joked.

"Whose house?" Harry asked.

"Ours. We're the only ones who have two bedrooms." I said quickly.

"So one of us is sleeping with you and two with Harry?" Niall asked.

"I don't know. It's two days away. Lets not worry about that right now. Just come over at 7 and you'll be fine."

"Sounds good. It'll be like the X-Factor days." Zayn smiled.

"Those were so fun."

"As much as I'd love to talk about our time on that show, Louis and I have things we need to do. If you'll excuse us, we're going to head out." Harry said, standing up. I gave him a confused look and he grabbed my hand, pulling me off of the chair.

"Bye boys!" I said quickly before leaving the room with an eager Harry. "What the fuck?"

"I had to get out of there. Louis, I need to tell you something." We walked out of the building and to the car. Harry climbed into the driver's seat and I got in the car as well, giving him a puzzled look.

"Okay..." I wasn't sure where he was going with this. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "Harry, you can tell me."

"Um, we need to get some groceries." He said, starting the car. I knew he had planned to say something else but I didn't push it. We drove to Tesco, my mind jumbled with thoughts of what Harry possibly needed to tell me. After parking, we walked into the shop and headed for the groceries. "What kind of food would you like?" He asked, pushing the cart down the frozen foods aisle.

"Pizzas and pasta. Lots of pizzas and pasta." I looked around to make sure no one had spotted us before lightly patting Harry's backside. "And you." I whispered in his ear. His eyes widened and he looked at me, surprised. It was supposed to be a joke, but I had meant it in a way. I wanted Harry and I was only slightly ashamed. He was my best mate after all, making the whole romance thing a little awkward. I wasn't even sure if he liked me the same way.

"Grab some pizzas." He mumbled. I picked out eight different pizzas and threw them in the cart. "Go get some milk and cereal and I'll get the pasta shit." I nodded and we went our separate ways, me getting what I needed to get. We met at the check out and I saw that Harry had gotten all of my favorite foods.

"Aw, Harry. You're the best roommate ever." I nudged his shoulder and he gave me a weak smile. What was his problem? We paid then put everything in the car before driving home. After arriving and putting all of our groceries away, Harry went into his room and I heard the shower running shortly after. He had a stack of clothes sitting in the laundry, so I decided to take them into his room. As I passed his bed, I noticed his journal lying on top. Maybe he had written down what had him so upset... I almost grabbed it but stopped myself. That was Harry's private diary. I couldn't just invade his privacy like that. Although, he wasn't going to tell me what was wrong, so a peek wouldn't hurt. I hesitated before opening to a random page.

"Tuesday, September 2, 2013."

Shit, that was today.

"I'm so confused. I wrote part of a song last night, but I'm almost afraid to share it. It's called You and I and I wrote it about the most amazing person on Earth. They don't know that I like them and I hope they never find out. I feel like if they do, my life will be over. I've finally decided something that I've been questioning for a while now. Almost three months to be exact. I've finally let myself realize that I'm bisexual."

My mouth dropped open and I heard the water stop. I quickly closed the book and tried to put it back in the same spot I found it. I hurried out of the room and walked into mine, closing the door behind me. Harry, my Harry, was bisexual? I guess that's why he had wanted to kiss me. He just wanted to confirm his sexuality. I was a little upset about that considering he liked someone and it wasn't me. Or was it? 

 

Harry's P.O.V.

I towel dried my hair before putting on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I couldn't believe I almost told Louis my biggest secret. I needed to tell someone, but I didn't know who to call. The only person I could think of was my sister, Gemma. I picked up my phone and found her contact, pressing call and hoping she'd answer.

"Harry?" Her voice came through the speaker.

"Hi, Gemma."

"What's wrong? You sound... Upset?" I took a deep breath before continuing.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone? Not even mum?"

"Um, yeah, I mean, unless you've murdered someone or something like that." She laughed. I smiled before continuing.

"So, you know how Louis ignored me basically the entire time we were in America?" I asked.

"Yes... Where are you going with this?"

"He said he only did it because of the rumors of us being in a relationship."

"Ugh, Harry, he should know that those rumors are just bullshit. Why would he do that?" My stomach dropped a little at her response.

"But Gem, that's the problem. He says that he doesn't want people to think he likes guys when I think he does. We kissed for christ's sake!"

"What?!" She said in disbelief. "You and Louis?!"

"Yes. You're the only person I've told so please don't tell anyone."

"Does this mean that you're... Gay?" She had no disgust in her voice whatsoever, just curiosity.

"I'm bisexual. I finally let myself believe it today." I felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders now that someone knew my secret.

"So does this mean you fancy Louis?" I could practically see her smirking.

"I don't even know." I sat down on the bed and put my head on my free hand.

"Describe your feelings when you're around him or when he touches you."

"He's just, he feels like home. The way he smells and the way his touch leaves me feeling warm and secure, he's my rock. And when we kissed, god Gem, my body was on fire. No girl has ever made me feel like that."

"I'd say you're in pretty deep, Harry. You need to tell him." My mouth fell open and I protested.

"No! He doesn't like me back!"

"You don't know that! What was his reaction after you two kissed?"

"I said sorry and he said it was okay. Things were a little awkward but he said he wanted to go back to normal and just forget the whole thing. He actually told me to kiss him."

"See. He likes you. If I had to guess, I'd say that he avoided you for so long because he was afraid of his feelings. I want you to ask that boy on a date then tell him how you really feel." She insisted.

"Can the date be in our own house?" I asked.

"As long as you tell him how you feel I don't really care."

"Fine." I huffed.

"And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"If you and Louis do happen to get together, I will support you 100%. I always knew you two had a thing for each other. I could tell by the way you looked at him."

"Thanks, Gemma. I'm going to go make dinner now. Don't tell mum any of this. I want to be the one to tell her."

"Anytime. I love you."

"Love you too." I hung up and stared at the floor. What the hell was I supposed to say to Louis? I was almost positive that he didn't like me, even if he was into guys. The first thing I had to do was ask him on a date. Maybe I could come out to him tonight, then save the date for tomorrow? No, I couldn't come out to anyone anytime soon. I felt like the boys should know, but I was afraid of what their reactions would be. I opened my door and made my way to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. 

 

Louis' P.O.V.

I heard Harry cooking in the kitchen so I decided to see what he was doing. I still couldn't believe that he was bisexual. I was also correct that day that he told me he didn't like anyone. I stepped through the doorway and immediately smiled at the sight of Harry bent over the stove.

"Whatcha making?" I asked, standing next to him.

"Fettucine alfredo. You like this stuff, don't you?"

"I love it." I watched as he added things and stirred, wondering how the hell he knew what he was doing. He spooned some onto a plate and handed it to me before taking his own serving. We sat down at the counter and there was an awkward silence. I could tell he had something on his mind. "What's wrong?" I asked, taking a bite.

"I'm fine."

"You can tell me anything." Was he going to come out? He should know that I would never hate him for his sexuality. I'd even told him that!

"It's just, I don't know. I've just had a lot going on these past couple days." He stared at his plate and exhaled.

"What's bothering you? Is it the same thing that was bothering you last time? Because, Harry, it was just a kiss. It's not going to happen again." He pursed his lips and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." He didn't interact with me for the rest of the meal and I was left wondering what was running through his mind. Was he ever going to come out?


	5. Chapter Five

Harry's P.O.V.

It had been three days since I'd come out to Gemma. I still hadn't told anyone else and I definitely hadn't asked Louis on a date yet. How do you casually ask your best mate on a date? The boys were coming over any minute now for our "sleepover" that Niall insisted we have. Louis was finishing up his shower while I cleaned up my room a little. I heard the door open and Liam's voice echoed through the house.

"Hello?" I put away the last shirt and walked into the living area.

"Liam? Goodness, I haven't seen you in ages!" I joked, throwing my arms around him. We broke apart and a smile was stretched across his face.

"Where's Louis?" Niall asked.

"He's in the shower. He refused to get in until about ten minutes ago, so he's running a bit late."

"Typical." The boys sat down on the sofa and turned on the tv.

"So, Harry, what's new with you?" Niall asked. "Haven't talked to you for a couple days." 'I'm now bisexual and have a crush on my bandmate', I thought.

"Nothing really. Just had a couple days to myself."

"Those are always nice." Zayn commented. After a couple minutes of mindless chatter, Louis walked into the room, shirt in hand.

"Put some clothes on, Lou!" Liam laughed.

"I heard you guys talking and ran out here because I missed you so much!" He said sarcastically. He went over to Liam and crushed him in a hug. He gave me a hug next and my heart beat sped up from his bare chest on me. He was so warm and smelled like his spice shower gel, it turned me on a little. He pulled away and I let out a breath. He put his shirt on and sat down on my lap.

"I'm so glad you two don't hate each other anymore." Zayn sighed. "What was that all about?"

"We never hated each other, Zayn." Louis said. "I just didn't like him." I knew he was joking but it still hurt a little to hear him say that. He pinched my leg and turned his head to smile at me. "Just kidding." He mouthed.

"Now you two are acting like a couple again." Niall remarked. I felt Louis tense above me and I knew that was a topic he hated.

"But we aren't." I said.

"But you act like one." Liam pointed out.

"That doesn't mean we are." Louis snapped.

"It was a joke, I'm sorry." Niall huffed. We stayed silent as we watched TV, only a few comments wedging their way into the silence. Around 8 we decided that we were bored and started playing a drinking game. You had to down a cup of beer then be the first person to flip your cup right-side up. So far Louis and Niall were taking the lead.

"Mate, you're shit at this." Louis laughed as I chugged my red cup of beer. It was the fourth round and we were all tipsy. I was going against Zayn and he was already to the point of flipping the cup. I put my cup on the edge of the table and pushed it up with my finger, only to have it land on its side. Niall and Liam were shouting at Zayn to hurry and Louis was shouting at me. I tried once again, but it fell.

"Fuck, yeah!" Zayn cheered, high fiving Niall and Liam. I groaned and grabbed my cup from the table.

"You're better than me." I said to Louis.

"Watch the pro do it." He sat down with his drink and stared at Liam who was seated across from him.

"Go!" Niall said happily. They immediately began drinking from their cups, Louis finishing first. He set up his cup on the table and flipped it, getting it right on the first try.

"Fuck you, Payno!" He said, standing up. I clapped as he bowed in my direction, shoving me back to the chair. He had had at least six glasses of alcohol tonight and I knew that would result in a hangover tomorrow morning.

"Let Niall and Zayn do it. I don't want to drink anymore." I said to him. We had music playing loudly and I'm sure our neighbors were loving us. 'Do I Wanna Know' by Arctic Monkeys was playing throughout the kitchen.

"Fine. You're no fun." He stood next to me and put his arm around my waist. We watched as Niall and Zayn competed, Niall taking the win. After three more rounds, Louis was even more hammered, as were the rest of the boys. I was still drunk, but not nearly as intoxicated as the others. It was about 10pm at this point.

"Let's play spin the bottle." Niall slurred.

"There's only guys, Ni. None of us are gay." Liam replied.

"So. It'll make things interesting."

"We're not playing spin the bottle." I said flatly.

"Fine! You're no fun!"

"We should play would you rather." Zayn suggested.

"I feel like a fifteen year old girl." Louis laughed. "Lottie used to make me play this game."

"We're playing!" Niall announced. The five of us sat in the living room, Liam, Louis, and I on one couch, Niall and Zayn on the other.

"Okay, I'll ask first." Zayn began. "Liam, would you rather make out with Niall or dump Sophia."

"If I made out with Niall I would be cheating on Sophia!" He argued.

"Just answer the question!"

"Make out with Niall." He said confidently.

"I knew it." Louis muttered.

"Harry!" Liam smiled. "Would you rather date Taylor Swift again or shave your head?"

"How long would we date?" I asked.

"Ummm... A year."

"Definitely shave my head." I laughed. The rest of the boys joined, finding it funnier than it actually was. It was my turn to ask someone and I chose Niall. "Would you rather go the rest of your life without swearing or never have a girlfriend?"

"Swearing is a part of me, mate." He laughed. "That's so fucking hard." Liam laughed for some reason and then Louis joined him. We were drunk off our asses and it was hilarious. "I'm going to go with never swearing, though. I don't want to die alone."

"Ask Louis something that involves Harry." Zayn said not-so-quietly.

"Louis!" Niall yelled. Louis perked up next to me and grinned. "Would you rather suck Harry off or date Eleanor?" My face burned at the thought of the first one happening and I felt Louis stiffen next to me.

"Definitely suck Harry off. Eleanor isn't my type. At all." My eyes nearly popped out of my head at his response.

"Seriously?! Oh God, that's great." Zayn and Niall laughed while Liam gave Louis and I a puzzled stare.

"Have you two kissed?" Niall asked. Before Louis could say anything he'd regret in the morning I pinched his ass.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, giving me a dirty look. I glared back at him and he stayed silent.

"No, we haven't." I said.

"I don't believe it." Liam said, shaking his head.

"I'm calling bullshit as well." Zayn added.

"We haven't. Why does everyone think that we're together?" Louis asked. "That's why I stopped talking to him in the first place!"

"Really?" Niall asked.

"People thought we were gay and it was bullshit. Why would I be in love with my best friend?" He made a disgusted face and my heart sank.

"Even if you were we'd support you." Liam said softly. "We love you, man. Who cares if you love Harry. Love is love."

"I don't love Harry! It's bullshit! I'm going to bed." He stood up and stormed back to his room, slamming the door behind him.

"You guys can have my room and the living room. I'm going to go talk to Louis." I announced before walking back to his room. I knocked on the door before going in. Louis was in his bed with the duvet thrown over himself. "Lou?"

"What." He asked groggily.

"Are you okay? You seem a bit upset." I sat down next to him on the bed and put my arm on his back.

"They think I'm in love with you." He mumbled. "They think I'm gay, too. Everyone on this fucking earth thinks I'm gay when I'm not! There's a difference between being gay and being bisexual! I like girls too!" I nearly choked at his words. 

"Louis, are you telling me that you're bi?" I asked.

"I never said that." I could tell he would regret this in the morning considering he had no idea what he was saying.

"You just did."

"Now you think I'm gay too? Jesus, Harry. Just because you are doesn't mean I am."

"W-what?" How could he know?

"I read your diary thing and saw that you're bi. Thanks for telling me." He still wasn't facing me and I jerked his shoulder back so he was.

"You read my journal?!" I said angrily.

"I wanted to know what was wrong with you. Don't get all pissy." Louis was either a fun drunk or a rude drunk. It was obvious which one he was tonight.

"That is private! I can't believe you!" I scooted away from him and he frowned.

"It's not like I'm telling you that you're gross for being bi. I'm just saying that I know you are. It's cool." He said calmly.

"You don't care?" I asked timidly.

"Why would I care? It's not my life." He rolled back over and shut his eyes.

"Thank you." I whispered. He turned to face me and gave me a bewildered look.

"For what?"

"For not freaking out."

"I want to know who you have a crush on and who you wrote that song about." He grinned.

"Are you going to remember anything in the morning?"

"What do you mean?"

"I wrote it about you, Louis." I said quietly. "I like you." His mouth fell open and I felt my stomach clench. He was going to hate me. I prayed he wouldn't remember this in the morning.

"Me? Why would you like me? I'm your best friend."

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It just sort of happened."

"So you're telling me that you've pictured me naked in bed with you?" He giggled.

"What?"

"If you like someone you picture them naked a lot." He grinned.

"You're so hammered. You really need to sleep."

"I can't. These jeans are suffocating me." He looked under the sheet at his jeans and furrowed his brow.

"Take them off you dumbass."

"But you're in bed with me. Wouldn't that be weird?"

"Only if you make it weird." He shrugged and unbuttoned his pants, pulling them off and throwing them to the floor. His shirt joined them and he glanced at me.

"You're seriously sleeping in those jeans? Your dick will fall off." He laughed. I sighed and followed him, removing my pants and shirt as well. Louis' eyes traveled down my torso and to my boxers, making my face heat up. "You're fit." He said quietly.

"Thank you?"

"I didn't mean that." He said, almost sounding like he was convincing himself. I crawled under the covers and laid on my side so I wasn't facing him. "Harry." Louis whispered.

"What."

"I like you too." I rolled onto my other side and stared at him.

"You mean..."

"Yes." My insides erupted and I was ecstatic. Louis had feelings for me?!

"You liked it when I kissed you?"

"I loved it." He smiled. I leaned in and connected our lips, the fire burning in my chest once again. Louis immediately kissed back, his hands moving to my back. I worked my lips against his, our bare chests touching and adding to the moment. He pushed me down then moved on top of me, his knees on either side of my waist. I opened my mouth and he darted his tongue inside, deepening the kiss. I could feel myself getting harder by the second but I didn't care. I had Louis and that was all that mattered. He brushed his crotch against mine and his excitement was evident as well. He moved his hand to my boxers and softly rubbed me, my hips pushing myself further into his touch.

"God you're hard." He panted. He moved his lips to my neck and softly sucked, his teeth grazing over my skin. Our lips met once again, his hand moving to my torso. He traced the outline of my muscles and rubbed himself against me. I tangled my fingers in his hair as he moved at a rhythmic pace, a small moan escaping his mouth.

"The boys will hear you!" I whispered.

"Fuck them." He gave me one last kiss on the lips before rolling next to me. "They ruin everything."


	6. Chapter Six

Louis' P.O.V.

I woke up to a muscular arm around my bare chest and my eyes shot open. Pain seared through my head and I groaned. What the hell happened last night? I rubbed my forehead and slowly opened my eyes again, seeing a tattooed arm draped across me. Harry. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I turned my head to find him still sleeping, his lips parted slightly. I checked the clock and saw that it was almost 10. As I moved my head back to its initial position, I noticed a bruise on Harry's neck. Had I done that? I must have considering I was laying in bed, half naked, with him. I picked his arm off of my torso and slowly climbed out of bed. When I stood up it was evident that this would be a nasty hangover. I looked back at Harry before walking to the kitchen to get some Ibuprofen. Liam and Zayn were standing at the counter talking. 

"Hey Louis." They greeted. I waved and headed straight for the cabinet. 

"Fun night last night?" Liam asked, eyeing my bare chest.

"I don't know what the hell happened. I just remember that dumb cup game and that's it." I swallowed the pills and walked to the fridge for some food. 

"Is Harry still asleep?" Zayn asked.

"Yeah." 

"So you did sleep in the same bed. God, Zayn and I have been coming up with theories all morning." Liam grinned. 

"Nothing happened, Liam." I said, taking a bite of leftover pasta. 

"You slept in the same bed."

"Half naked." Zayn added.

"And drunk." 

"That doesn't mean anything!" I fought. I saw Harry enter the room, his hair sticking up in random spots. Apparently he hadn't noticed the giant love bite on his neck and my stomach sank. Liam and Zayn stared at Harry and then back at me before laughing. 

"Nothing happened?" Zayn said between laughs. "Harry, have you looked in the mirror?"

"What?" He was obviously still tired and had no idea what was going on. 

"Harry, just meet me in my room." I said, defeated. I walked past him and grabbed his bicep, pulling him behind me. We made it to my room and I shut the door behind us. "Do you remember anything from last night? I don't." He looked at me for a minute before realization flashed across his face. "What happened?" I asked lowly.

"Erm, well..." He rubbed his forehead. 

"Please tell me." I begged. 

"I don't know." I knew he was lying. "You don't remember anything?" He asked. 

"No, not right now anyway. But I'm going to assume that love bite on your neck is from me." I pointed to the bruise and his hand flew up to it, his cheeks crimson. 

"Shit." 

"We didn't... you know. Did we?" I asked nervously. 

"No! God, I promise we didn't!" 

"Thank God." I sank into my bed and shut my eyes. "I'm never getting wasted around you guys again." 

"You swear you don't remember anything? Nothing I said... or you said?" 

"No. Why?"

"Just wondering. I need some water." He went into the bathroom and I stood up to walk back to the kitchen, throwing on sweatpants before exiting. 

"Hey." Niall greeted as I entered the kitchen. "Wild night last night?" He smirked. 

"I hate you two." I looked at Liam and Zayn. 

"He can't be out of the loop. That's not fair. We had to tell him." Zayn said. 

"What exactly was your theory? I don't even remember going to bed last night." I sat down at the counter and rested my chin on my folded arms. Zayn and Liam eyed each other before Liam spoke. 

"We figured that after you stormed off and Harry went running after you, that you two would lay in bed together then realize how much you love each other. That would result in a kiss which would lead to a make out session. So far, we're pretty convinced that it actually happened."

"Why are you so set on us being a couple? We clearly aren't, nor will we ever be, dating. I am straight and Harry is straight." I knew the second statement was a lie but I wasn't going to tell anyone. That was his business. 

"Okay. Whatever you say." Liam held up his hands in defeat. "Where is Harry anyway?" 

"He went into the bathroom for a glass of water a couple minutes ago."

"Hmm. Well, I should probably head out soon." Niall said. "I have a date at noon." 

"What?" The three of us said in unison. 

"Is it really that hard to believe? Jesus." He rolled his eyes.

"Who's the lucky lady?" I raised my eyebrows.

"That's none of your business." 

"Come on, Ni." I whined. 

"Barbara Palvin." He sighed. "She's really nice. Please don't get into this."

"But you're the baby. We have to protect you!" Zayn pretended to cry. 

"Harry's the baby." Niall said. 

"You're basically the baby. If she breaks your heart she will get a stern message from Sophia or Perrie." Liam said. 

"I'm going to leave now. Great time last night. Thanks Louis." He waved before heading to the living room and walking out the door. 

"And then there were four." I sighed. 

"Three. Harry is MIA." Liam laughed. 

"Should we go check on him? What did you do to him?" Zayn asked. 

"I told him I didn't remember anything from last night and he got all weird and shit. I don't know." I groaned. 

"I'll go find him." Liam announced. "He's got to be around here somewhere." 

 

Harry's P.O.V.

I sat on the toilet seat, my head in my hands. Louis didn't remember. Was he just fucking with me last night? He said he liked me back and said that he was bi. Since he didn't remember telling me, he still thinks that I don't know. I couldn't exactly go up to him today and ask him about his sexuality. I have a feeling that it wouldn't go over well. Then Gemma's voice popped into my head. 'I want you to ask that boy on a date then tell him how you really feel'. I had to do it today. I wouldn't exactly call it a date to his face, but I would tell Gemma that it was. I wasn't going to tell him how I felt, though. I was startled by a knock on the door. 

"Harry?" I heard Liam's voice. 

"Just a minute." I stood up and took a deep breath. I opened the door and smiled at Liam. "What's up?"

"Why are you hiding in Louis' bathroom?" He asked. 

"Oh, well, I needed some water and then, uh-"

"What happened?" I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I know Liam has told us that the boys would support us if we did happen to be gay, but I couldn't tell him yet. Louis was going to be the first person I told, even though he already knew. 

"I'm not really sure I want to discuss this right now." 

"Is it about you and Louis?" I nodded and he sat down on the bed, his hands resting on his knees. "What happened last night?" He was being completely serious and that made me feel a little better. 

"I-I don't know." I remembered, but I really didn't know what the hell happened. Louis had confessed so many things that I was still trying to wrap my head around all of it. 

"I know you do. If you didn't you wouldn't be hiding out in his bathroom. Harry, you can tell me. I won't tell the other boys." I had an internal battle of whether to come clean to Liam or not. I trusted him, I just wasn't sure that I wanted him to know.

"Liam, I'm... I..." I couldn't do it. Not today. I knew it wasn't the right time so I clammed up. 

"I want to finish that sentence for you, but I also don't want to offend you if I'm wrong." He said. "Are you going to say that you're not straight?" He guessed. I gulped and stared at him. Before I gave anything away I turned around and left the room, tears pooling in my eyes. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed my keys, completely ignoring Louis and Zayn giving me questioning stares. 

"Harry?" Zayn called, just as I slammed the door. I hopped into the car and the tears spilled over. I knew exactly where I was going to go. The studio. 

 

Louis' P.O.V.

Harry slammed the door shut and Zayn and I nervously glanced at each other. "So, should we go after him?" He asked. I shook my head and Liam walked into the room. 

"What did you do?" I asked. 

"I think he hates me." He said solemnly. 

"What happened?"

"Well, I asked him what was wrong and he started to say something but then stopped mid-sentence and I thought it would be a great idea to try and finish it. I was either really right or really wrong. Either way, he's upset." He sat down next to me and rested his head on the counter. 

"I wonder where he went?" Zayn asked. I thought for a moment then an idea came to mind. Whenever he has a lot on his mind he writes. He must have gone to the studio. 

"He's probably at the studio." I said. "But don't go after him. Give the poor man some space."

"What exactly did you say to him, Liam?" 

"Erm, I asked if he wasn't straight." He said, embarrassed. I knew why Harry ran out. He didn't want anyone to know that he was bi. A memory of me sucking on his neck played in my mind and I nearly choked. 

"Holy shit." I stated. 

"What?" Liam asked. 

"Okay, I know I told you to give Harry some space, but I need to get to him. Can I take someone's car?" I was frantic. I needed to know if I said anything to Harry last night. He couldn't know. He liked someone and I didn't want him to laugh in my face at the thought of me loving him. 

"Uh, sure." Zayn handed me his keys and I thanked him before hurrying out the door. My mind was swimming with possibilities of what could have happened the previous night. I just prayed that I didn't say anything stupid. When I arrived at the studio, I was relieved to find Harry's Range Rover parked in its usual spot. I used Zayn's key to get into the building and I hurried through the hall, stopping when I heard Harry's voice echo through the room. I peered into the room beside me and, sure enough, there was Harry, reading something from his phone while singing the lyrics to a song I'd never heard. I opened the door to the recording room and Harry jumped, dropping his phone and going silent. 

"Harry." I breathed. "Harry, what did I say to you last night? Please tell me the truth." He stared at me, his mouth open slightly.

"You read my journal." He swallowed. "You said that you know about me but you don't care."

"I'm sorry that I invaded your privacy but please just tell me if I said anything else. I know that we kissed and I'm so sorry. I know that you like someone and I probably grossed you out." 

"You said that you were bisexual." He said quietly. I rested my head on the doorway and shut my eyes, silently cursing at myself. "You also said that you had feelings for me." He said, almost whispering. 

"I'm sorry." I whispered. 

"Louis?" I looked at him and he seemed nervous. He picked at his jeans before making eye contact with me. He took a deep breath then began to speak. "Would you like to go for out dinner tonight?" I just stared at him before realizing that he was serious. "You don't have to, I just thought-"

"Harry Styles, are you asking me on a date?" I asked. He blushed and that confirmed my suspicions. 

"It's not necessarily a date. I mean, unless you want it to be. If you don't, I completely understand. It was a stupid idea, wasn't it?" He was fidgeting and I couldn't help but find it adorable. 

"You're cute." I said walking over to him. I grabbed his trembling hand and intertwined our fingers. "I think I just might have to accept your offer." I pulled him off of the stool that he was sitting on and brought him closer to me. "Am I the person you wrote You & I about?" He nodded and a smile crept onto my face. "How long?"

"Probably around the time that you knew." 

"So the Larry rumors really were true. It wasn't just me that was in on it?" He shook his head and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "I was so afraid of losing you." He hugged me tighter and I remembered that he was my best mate. I was going on a date with my best friend who was also a guy. For some strange reason, there wasn't anything strange about the idea of it at all.


	7. Chapter Seven

Louis' P.O.V.

I fixed the last button on my shirt before looking at myself in the mirror. My hair was swirled in the front, the rest a bit messy. I was wearing a long sleeved black button up, black skinny jeans, and my black vans. I sprayed on a bit of cologne before walking into the living room. Harry was standing by the door and he looked incredible. He was wearing an outfit similar to mine, only he had on brown boots.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded and followed him out the door and to his Range Rover. After getting settled in the front seat I plugged my phone in and began playing 'Flawless' by The Neighbourhood. "I was thinking Italian. I know you like pasta." He backed out of the driveway and kept his eyes planted on the road ahead of him. Was he nervous? I was nervous and I was more confident about my feelings than he was. 

"Okay." I responded. I looked over at him again and watched as he pressed his lips together, slightly licking them. He only did that when he had something on his mind. "Harry?"

"Hmm."

"Does this whole thing make you, I don't know, uncomfortable? Like the date." 

"I don't think uncomfortable is the right word. I know that I like you, but the fact that it's you makes this a little strange." I just nodded and he put his hand on my thigh. "What about you?" I looked down at his hand and butterflies erupted in my stomach. 

"The same." We were silent for a few minutes before Harry broke it. 

"You know management is going to hate us." 

"Yeah."

"I don't think we should make this a regular thing. They were already worried about the rumors before." 

"Okay." Nerves were eating me alive and I didn't know why. It was just Harry. Why was it so nerve-wracking? 

"You seem nervous." He pointed out. "It's just me." He squeezed my thigh as we turned into the parking lot. "Pretend that this isn't a date and it will be the best date ever." We got out of the car and entered the restaurant, Harry telling the lady at the front our reservation name. We were led to the back of the restaurant and I sat across from Harry. 

"I'm not drinking. Last night killed me." I laughed. 

"I don't know, I received some valuable information from you." He smirked. 

"God, talk about embarrassing."

"At least the feeling was mutual." A waitress came over to take our drink orders and tried flirting with Harry, but failed miserably. After she left we began our conversation again. "I'm not telling the boys that I'm bi for a while." 

"I won't either. We should do it at the same time." 

"No, then they'll think we're together." My face fell a little and Harry must have caught himself. "I mean we aren't together, but in a way we sort of are. I don't want them to know,"

"Okay." 

"Do you?" He asked, taking a sip of his water.

"They are our best mates." 

"I've only told Gemma and that was hard enough. I didn't even tell you. How am I supposed to tell the boys?"

"I can tell them. Look, Harry, I'd feel bad hiding that from them. They deserve to know." 

"I don't want to argue about this right now. Can we please just enjoy dinner?" He sighed. I nodded and nudged his foot under the table. 

"It's times like this when having our own house comes in handy." I joked. Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled. 

"I still feel a bit odd kissing you." He confessed. "After all, you are my best friend."

"I think I'm a little more than your best mate at this point. Friends don't exactly make out and go on dates." I laughed. 

"Okay, fine. You're my hot best friend whom I like to kiss every once in a while."

"You think I'm hot?" I grinned. 

"Yeah, I do."

"That's good because you're pretty good looking yourself." Harry bowed his head and smiled. I had broken his serious attitude and I knew that was something that only I could do. "I knew you wouldn't stay collected this whole evening."

"You get me every time you ass."

"I made you blush. I win." The dumb waitress came over to ruin the moment and we ordered. After she left, I was back on my mission to crack Harry. "Next thing you know you'll be cracking dumb jokes."

"My hot and serious facade has been shattered. You're going to regret that later." He winked and I bit my lip. 

"Really? How so?" I rested my chin on my folded hands and looked at him expectantly. 

"It's a surprise." 

"Of course it is." We chatted for a bit before our food came. After we devoured that, we fought over the bill, Harry demanding that he should pay because he invited me. I unwillingly gave in, giving Harry the silent treatment as punishment. 

"You can't ignore me all night." He said as we walked to his car. He opened the door for me and I got in, not making eye contact. Harry got in next to me and started the car, nudging my arm with his fist. "Louis." He whined. "Don't make me stop this car."

"What's your surprise?" I asked. 

"God, you're cute." He huffed. I blushed and tried to hide my smile. "Your embarrassed smile is even cuter." He grinned. I turned my head to look out the window and beamed. 

"Shut up." I laughed. 

"Aw, I'm making you blush. Never thought I'd say that."

"Harry, seriously, stop." I said, my smile impossible to contain.

"You just don't want to admit that your best friend can make you giggle like a school girl."

"I'm not giggling you twat."

"Yeah, you are." He reached down and put his hand on mine, lacing our fingers together. "Is it okay if I do this?" He asked, suddenly serious. I nodded and he smiled. "Good." We eventually pulled into the apartment complex and made our way upstairs. Once we were inside, we took off our shoes and sat down on the couch. "Want to see the surprise?" Harry asked. 

"If it's your dick, no." I snorted. 

"Damn. Foiled again." He joked. "But seriously. Want to see?" I nodded and he stood up then walked into his room. A minute later he walked back out with a guitar and a notebook. 

"You can play the guitar?" I asked. 

"Yes, Louis." He rolled his eyes. 

"I didn't know that."

"I wrote something and no one has heard it. I want you to guess who it's about." He opened the notebook to a labeled page then put his guitar around his neck. He began playing and I instantly liked the sound of it. He made it to the chorus and I was smiling like an idiot.

"'Cause you have got this spell on me

I don't know what to believe

Kiss you once now I can't leave

'Cause everything you do is magic

But everything you do is magic"

He finished off the song then gave me a shy grin. "Any guesses?"

"Niall?" I joked.

"Lou..." He shook his head. "It's you, dumbass." I scooted over to him and put my arms around his upper torso. 

"You're the best friend ever." I mumbled into his shoulder. 

"Friend?" He asked. 

"Hot friend whom I like to kiss and go on dates with." I corrected myself. He pushed me off and groaned. 

"Cheeseball." He laughed. "I'm going to shower. You're not welcome to come." 

"I wouldn't go even if I could." He stuck his tongue out at me before walking back to his room. I did the same, taking a shower as well. After I got out, I changed into a pair of black sweatpants then went to Harry's door. I knocked before opening, seeing him sprawled out on his bed and on his phone. "Hey." I said, startling him.

"Jesus, Lou." He set his phone down and stared at me. "Nice outfit."

"You too." He was wearing nothing but black boxers and a black t-shirt. 

"I knew you'd enjoy it." I sat down at the end of his bed and he kicked my back. "Why are you in here?" 

"Am I not allowed to see you?"

"I was just wondering. We've been with each other all day. Aren't you sick of me yet?"

"Number one, we live together so of course I've been with you all day. Number two, I could never get sick of you." I moved higher up on the bed and laid on my back, staring at the ceiling. 

"That's good to hear considering I'm not leaving for a while." It was silent for a few seconds before Harry spoke again. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Of course I did."

"It wasn't awkward?" I looked over at him and he looked a little nervous. Was he planning something?

"At first it was. I guess it was just weird because it's you."

"Yeah, I understand."

"Are we going to do it again?" 

"Yeah, uh, if you're okay with that." He responded.

"Cool." It had suddenly gotten awkward and I didn't know why.

"Would it be weird if I kissed you right now?" He asked quietly. I shook my head and he crawled over to me, straddling my lap. It felt so right having him like this and I needed more. I clutched his shirt as he slowly moved his head toward mine before our lips finally connected. We lingered like that for a couple seconds before he pulled away. "Is that supposed to feel that good?" He chuckled. 

"Probably not. But who gives a shit." I pulled him back for more and he gladly kissed back, our lips molding together perfectly. His hand moved to my thigh and I moved my hand behind his neck. He opened his mouth a little and I eagerly slipped my tongue in to deepen the kiss. I felt his arousal press against my thigh and I smirked against his lips. He pulled back and stared at me. 

"What?" He asked. 

"I made you hard." He looked down and blushed. 

"Well... yeah." He shrugged. 

"You don't find that a bit weird?" I asked. 

"Lou, you're ruining the moment." He groaned. 

"I don't want to go very far right now and I need to know how you feel about all of this." He sat straight up on my thighs and looked down at me. 

"Yeah, all of this is a bit strange, but I don't think it's supposed to be normal. We've been best friends for three years. We need to break down that friendship barrier at some point if we want this to work." He traced one of my tattoos on my chest and goosebumps formed on my skin. 

"Want what to work?"

"Us. Together."

"Like... as a couple?" I had been dreaming about being with Harry for so long now. Now that it might actually happen, I was scared. What if we broke up? I'd lose Harry as a friend and a lover. 

He nodded and I gulped. "Do you not want that? We obviously aren't going to do anything serious right now. I'm just saying that if we did want more in the future, that whole 'best mates' shit has to go. I mean, we'll still be best friends, but also... you know... in a relationship." 

"Is that what you want? Aren't you scared?" I asked quietly. He stared at me, bewildered. 

"Are you scared?" He asked. I remained silent and he bent his body so his head was laying on my chest. "Why are you afraid?"

"People will judge us."

"Fuck them."

"What if we break up and hate each other?"

"That will never happen. I could never hate you." His breath fanned over my chest and I felt my cheeks heat up. 

"How would we even tell people about us? You don't even want to tell the boys." I said, barely audible. 

"I don't want you to think that I'm embarrassed." He began. "I just don't think we should tell them that anything's going on right now. This is the first day we've actually done anything and I don't want to go around telling everyone that we're together. It's almost too good to be true." I trailed my fingers up and down his back and he sighed. "Let's just take things slow." I hummed in agreement and pulled the duvet over Harry and I before turning off the light. 

"You're sleeping in here." I mumbled. 

"I was going to even if you said no." He smiled. He gave me a peck on the cheek before wrapping his arms around my waist and snuggling into me. "You smell too good to pass up." 

"You're gross." I laughed, placing my hands on his. 

"Yeah, but you think I'm hot so it's okay." I groaned and shut my eyes, Harry's warmth and touch making me fall asleep much quicker than the previous nights. Maybe things would work out after all.


	8. Chapter Eight

Louis' P.O.V.

It had been a week since our date and things had basically remained the same between us. No one knew about us and we planned to keep it that way. Although we weren't dating, we were still more than friends. Nothing more than a couple kisses really happened between us, though. The whole idea of actually being with Harry really threw me off. I guess I never really thought we'd be a real thing. It was Saturday afternoon and we were going to some radio show for an interview. 

"I'm standing next to you." Harry said as we walked through the door. I nodded and we made our way to the main room. 

"There they are!" A thin and scruffy guy made his way over to us, holding out his hand. "I'm Rich. It's so nice to meet you guys." We all shook his hand before taking a seat on the chairs they had provided. I sat between Zayn and Harry, scooting closer to Harry once we were settled. "We're going on air in about five minutes so get ready." I looked over at Harry and smiled, earning a smile in return. When the 'On Air' sign finally lit up, the nerves started kicking in. 

"Good Afternoon, London! It's Rich and I'm here with a very special guest! One Direction is in the house!" All of us cheered and Rich gave us a thumbs up. "The guys are here for a quick chat before they sing a song or two. Think you can handle it? I sure hope so." He rambled on for a bit more before the interview started. "So, boys, what's the best thing about being off tour?" We looked at each other before Liam took the question. 

"I think it's just great to have some time to relax, you know. You can kind of lie low for a while and you can't really do that when you're on tour." 

"I can definitely see where you're coming from with that one, Liam. Let's go on to the next question. I heard you've been working on your third album. Is this true?" Harry decided to answer this one and I watched as he smoothly responded. 

"Yeah, we've actually just finished writing the last song. Next comes the recording. We can't wait to share it with you guys." 

"What have you written the majority of the album about?" Rich asked.

"Mainly relationships or love interests. There's one or two about the fans as well." Niall replied. 

"I'm sure the fans just eat that stuff up." He grinned. "Okay, so, Louis and Harry." He began. My eyes widened and I rubbed my palms on my jeans. He was going to ask about Larry. "Apparently you two had a date last week? What was that all about?" The other boys looked at us curiously, considering we had never even mentioned going to dinner together. 

"Um, well, that was actually just dinner. I'm not sure why dinner has to be classified as a date, honestly." I said nervously. 

"Your fans were really hoping that a spark had ignited in the whole 'Larry Stylinson' thing." He laughed. "They're really hardcore when it comes to you two, aren't they?" The boys were still staring at us, probably noticing how fidgety we were becoming. 

"Yeah, it's mad. They genuinely believe that we're in a relationship. Even the boys thought we were at one point." Harry joked. "We're nothing more than best mates." He put his arm around me and my face fell a little. I felt his thumb lightly tap against my shoulder and I leaned into him slightly. 

"Well Larry shippers, there you have it. I'm sorry to say that these two guys are just best buds." Harry smiled at me and I looked away, immediately making eye contact with Liam. He shook his head and looked back at the interviewer. We answered a couple more questions before it was time to perform. Apparently we were singing 'Little Things'. Niall took the guitar from the corner of the room and began the intro to the song. When it was time for Harry's solo, his eyes didn't leave mine. 

"And I'm in love with Lou, and all his little things." He sang. My eyes widened and I looked at the other boys who shared the same expression as me. He had sort of camoflagued his words, but the boys had definitely heard it. We finished the song and said goodbye before heading back to the car. I tried to avoid everyone but Harry but, of course, Liam pried into our personal lives. 

"Nice lyric change." He said simply.

"Thanks." Harry mumbled. 

"You know, I told you two that we would support you-"

"No matter what, yes Liam, we know. Unfortunately, there's nothing for you to support." I snapped. He glared at me and clenched his jaw. 

"Whatever you say." 

"Liam, please, just leave it alone." Harry said tiredly. "This is not something Louis wants to discuss at the moment." 

"You two act like a married couple." Niall huffed. 

"Seriously. Stop." He said bitterly. 

"Sorry, mate. I just feel like there's something you aren't telling us." Liam sighed. 

"Why can't you accept the fact that we're just friends who happen to get on really well? No one gets that." I said. Harry rested his hand on the crook of my arm and I looked up at his frowning face. 

"Sorry." Liam said, bowing his head. The rest of the ride was awkward, but luckily we were dropped off first. We said goodbye to the lads before going up to our apartment . 

"They already know and we've gone on one date." I said, shutting the door behind me. 

"We'll tell them eventually. It's too early to tell anyone. Don't worry about it." Harry pulled me in for a hug and put his arms around my waist, his head resting on mine. "Don't believe that friend bullshit either. You know I'm your friend that you like to make out with." He joked. I laughed and squeezed him tighter. He smelled so good that I never wanted to let go. He began to pull his arms away and I whimpered in protest. 

"Just a little longer." I said, nuzzling my face into his shirt. I felt my feet lift off of the ground and I opened my eyes to find Harry taking me back to his room. 

"It's more comfortable laying down." He smirked. He set me down on the bed before going to the other side and plopping down next to me. His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me against his chest. "You're so cuddly, Lou." He murmured. I resumed my position from before, my face buried in his chest and my hands around his waist.

"Cuddle buddies." I chuckled. 

"You've always been my cuddle buddy." Harry smiled. "It just seems a bit different now."

"I don't want things to be different. I'm the same Louis and you're the same Harry."

"I won't let anything change." He kissed my forehead and I blushed. "Except some of that. That's definitely going to change." 

"I think I'm okay with that." I closed my eyes and snuggled into Harry, my drowsiness finally taking over.

~

"Lou, answer the phone." Harry groaned into my ear. I was confused as to where I was, but then I recognized Harry's room. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 5:28pm. The house phone was ringing and Harry clearly was not going to get it. 

"You get next call." I mumbled before stumbling out of bed and walking to the phone to answer it. "Hello?"

"Louis? This is Harry Magee from Modest. I have a few questions." Modest? This couldn't be good. 

"Okay..."

"While you boys were on tour, we noticed that you and Harry had a bit of a... falling out. But now, it is clearly evident that you two have mended that broken friendship. We've also noticed that there may be a bit more going on." My throat went dry and I glanced at Harry, who was laying on the bed with his eyes shut. 

"Um, yeah, we're friends again." I said, avoiding the last part. 

"Louis, we need you two to come down to the offices so we can have a little discussion. Meet us at 5:50 and no later. This is serious business. Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you boys." Before I could respond, the line went dead. 

"Fuck!" I exclaimed. Harry jolted awake and sat up.

"What happened?" He asked, getting out of bed. 

"We have to go down to Modest's offices in about ten minutes. They want to discuss 'us'." I said, motioning between us. 

"Seriously? Are the other boys going?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. 

"I don't think so." 

"Fuck." He sighed. "They can't do anything bad, though. Right? I mean, they don't know anything."

"They're suspicious, though." I swallowed. "Magee said that we're 'more than friends' so they obviously know something. I don't understand how. We've been on one date!"

"This is bullshit." Harry said, shaking his head. "Louis?"

"What." I huffed. 

"Just know that no matter hat happens at this meeting, they can't tear us apart completely." I nodded and he pulled me in for a hug. "We'll be okay."

~

We stood at the receptionist's desk, waiting for the tiny blonde to notice us. "Ahem." I faked clearing my throat. 

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't see you boys there!" She said in a nasally voice. "Are you here to see Mr. Magee?"

"Yes." Harry affirmed. 

"I'll ring him and let him know that you're on your way." She picked up the phone and we began walking down the long hallway that led to Magee's office. Once we reached it, I stopped in front of the door. 

"Come on, Lou. We'll be fine." Harry said, rubbing my back before knocking on the door. Seconds later, Magee opened it with a stern look on his face.

"Come in, boys." We thanked him before taking a seat in the chairs in front of his desk. "I've called you here because we have a few things to discuss. Louis, you are aware of these things, however Harry is not. Harry, it's come to my attention that you and Louis have gotten quite close since your little spat."

"Yes, we have." Harry agreed. 

"But, myself and a few others from Modest have noticed that you've been a little too close." He narrowed his eyes at us and I tapped my foot on the ground nervously. 

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. 

"I mean that you two have crossed a line. You went on a date, you've been showing affection nonstop for the past week, and Harry made that utterly ridiculous lyric change today! That's what I mean! We cannot have two gay members of the biggest boy band in the world! Do you understand?" Harry and I stared at him with wide eyes. Had we been that obvious?

"Magee, you listen to me right now." Harry barked. "Louis and I are not gay. I cannot believe you called us in here so suddenly to discuss this."

"No, Harry, you listen to me. I am your boss and you will do as I say! You two need to tell me what's going on right this minute or there will be consequences." His voice was raised at an eerily high level. 

"Please, do tell us what the consequences will be." Harry snapped. 

"You two cannot live together anymore." He said simply. I locked eyes with Harry and worry spread throughout my body. We had to tell him. I couldn't live without Harry. He'd basically become a part of me. "Well?" Magee said impatiently. 

"You want to know the truth?" I said, a sudden burst of confidence flowing through me. I saw Harry give me a warning stare, but I knew I couldn't lose him. "I'm bisexual. You can yell at me all you want, but there it is. Take it or leave it." I crossed my arms and glared at Magee. 

"Bisexual? Louis, this can't happen. People can't find out that you're not normal because then record sales will go down." Harry shot out of his chair and slammed his hands on Magee's desk. 

"Not normal?!" He shouted. "Who the hell are you to judge someone because of their sexuality?! I'm bisexual too! Louis and I have snogged and we'll most likely do it again! Don't you fucking tell him that he's abnormal because of his sexual preferences. We did not come down here to be criticized for being ourselves." Harry gave Magee a malicious stare as I sat back, my hands trembling. 

"You two are together?" Magee asked calmly. 

"Not necessarily. We just kind of... do things together." I said quietly. 

"I will not allow this behavior. You are human beings, not animals." My jaw dropped at his comparison and suddenly I was enraged. 

"Animals?! That's what you think of gays?! You can go to hell! You're a fucking prick!" I jolted forward at him, but Harry held me back. 

"Louis." He whispered. "It's not worth it." 

"I'm sorry, Louis. You two simply cannot be together. Ever. You're much too popular for this to ever work." Magee pushed up his glasses before folding his hands in front of him. "One of you boys needs to move out immediately." Tears formed in my eyes and the anger inside of me only increased. I tried to get out of Harry's grip, but it was impossible. 

"There has to be some way we can compromise." Harry said. Magee looked at him for a few seconds before replying.

"Okay, how's this. Louis, we're going to hire someone to be your girlfriend. You'll go on dates with her and actually show some affection toward her in public. If you do this, you and Harry can continue residing together." My stomach churned and I thought I was going to be sick. 

"Absolutely not. I'm not pretending to fuck some random girl that you've picked." I spat. 

"What if it's one of your close friends? Who was the nice girl you took to dinner a while back?" Magee asked. I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. 

"No. Please no. Not Eleanor." Eleanor was my friend, he couldn't do that.

"Date her or you and Harry split." I leaned into Harry and let out an exasperated sigh. 

"Please pay her well." I said, defeated. 

"I'm glad we could come to a decision. We'll call her soon and let her know what's going on. Thank you boys for your time. I'm sorry it has to be this way." He said with fake sympathy. 

"I'm sure you are." Harry mumbled before leading us to the door. What the hell was I getting myself into?


	9. Chapter Nine

Louis' P.O.V.

It had been two weeks since Harry and I went into Magee's office. Eleanor had agreed to be my cover up, but only with a lot of convincing and money. She felt bad pretending and so did I. This meant that she couldn't date anyone while I pranced around with Harry. Harry and I weren't exactly dating, though. We had only had a couple cuddling moments and short kisses since all of this happened. It was still a bit weird actually knowing that Harry liked me the way I liked him. Since he was my best friend, it was even stranger. We were going to America for a couple days for the release of our single, 'Best Song Ever'. I was dreading the interviews and constant questioning. I was going to announce my relationship with Eleanor while we were there as well. 

I finished packing my suitcase before zipping it up and hauling it off of the bed. I heard Harry in the living room as I made my way down the hall, my luggage dragging behind me. "Ready?" I asked. He nodded and grabbed his bag, making his way to the door. We had a car waiting for us, the other boys having their own. After stuffing our bags in the back, we shuffled into the seats before heading to the airport. Harry's hand slipped into mine and I blushed, looking down at it. I looked up at him and he was looking straight ahead as if nothing was happening. I decided to do the same, the entire ride being quiet. Harry and I had been in a bit of an awkward stage after coming out to management. We still hadn't told the boys anything and it was eating me alive. 

After arriving at the airport and taking nearly 100 pictures, we were able to board our plane. "I want the seat next to Zayn!" Liam called. 

"I want the one next to Louis." Harry said. 

"Oh, thanks lads." Niall pouted. 

"Sorry, Ni." I laughed. "I would sit alone, but Harry insists that I sit next to him.

"Of course he does." Zayn huffed. I shot him a look before plopping down next to Harry. I pulled out my phone and noticed that I had a text from Eleanor. 

"Have fun in America! Don't look too disappointed when you announce our relationship :)" 

I grinned at my phone, apparently attracting Harry's attention. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing. Eleanor just texted me." His brow furrowed and he looked at the seats in front of us, which held Zayn and Liam. Niall was across the aisle from them, leaving Harry and I secluded from the group. 

"Must be nice having a pretty girlfriend." He said, weaving his fingers through mine. 

"Someone's going to see." I said nervously. 

"So?" 

"Fine." What was with him lately? Was he really that pissed that I had a fake girlfriend? I obviously liked him so I didn't see why he was so upset. "You know I don't like her in that way, right?" 

"Okay." He said simply. The plane began to take off and the seat belt light flashed on. I put on my seat belt before turning to face Harry.

"I'm serious. You know that I don't like her like that don't you?" 

"I guess."

"Are you just pissed because I'll have to kiss her in public?" His jaw tightened and I knew why he was mad. "Every last bit of it is fake, Harry."

"I know." We remained silent for a while, our hands still intertwined. I looked over at Niall and saw him staring at us. He gave me a questioning look before I shook my head. Harry didn't seem to notice our silent conversation and I was glad. Niall pulled out his phone and I soon felt my phone vibrate. 

"We need to talk."

I looked up at Niall again and glared at him before texting him back. 

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Niall stood up, grabbing my arm as he walked past me. "What are you doing?" I asked as he dragged me into the tiny bathroom. I could barely move as he shut the door behind us. 

"Louis, seriously, what's going on?" He asked. 

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not an idiot. You two are literally holding hands! What are you keeping from us?" I sighed and looked at the wall. 

"This is not a good time to talk about it." 

"So there is something you're hiding! Louis, you can tell me. I thought you knew that?" 

"I don't want to talk about it." I didn't want to come out to Niall in this cramped bathroom. It was not a good place to do so. 

"Are you and Harry... together?" He asked softly. I shrugged and he gave me a serious stare. "Please tell me. I won't tell the other boys." 

"We aren't really together." I said honestly. "We're just sort of... I don't know."

"Have you kissed or anything?" I slowly nodded and his eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"When were you planning on telling us?"

"I don't know." 

"Well, I guess this whole thing is pretty cool. You and Harry are best mates."

"You don't care?"

"Not at all." He paused. "Wait. What about Eleanor?" 

"That's a story for later tonight. We're hogging the bathroom." He nodded and pushed the door back, allowing us to make our way back to our seats. Harry was listening to music and had his eyes shut, but they immediately opened when I took his hand back. I pulled one of his earphones out and gave him a sympathetic look. 

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I told Niall." His face hardened and he looked over at Niall who was busy talking to Liam. 

"Fuck, Louis. Why?" 

"He basically forced me. He doesn't care, Harry." He sighed heavily. pressing his lips together. 

"He isn't going to tell the other boys, is he?"

"No. He said he'd leave that to us." Harry nodded and looked at his lap. 

"Now we have two people who know, not counting management." He stated. 

"Three. Eleanor knows too." 

"Well, yeah, obviously." He half-laughed. One of his dimples showed and I grinned back at him. I loved those dimples. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just cute." His cheeks reddened and his face lit up.

"Not as cute as you." He squeezed my hand tighter, bringing it up to his mouth. Luckily, there wasn't anyone across the aisle from us. "No one is as cute as you." He lowered my hand and moved in for a kiss. He pulled away at the last minute, his eyes wide. He coughed then sat back, looking quite embarrassed. I was confused until I saw Niall wiggling his eyebrows at me. 

"Fuck off, Niall." I groaned. 

"Hey, what did Niall do?" Liam asked, turning around to face me. 

"Nothing."

"Be nice to the poor guy!" Zayn joked. 

"I am nice to him!" I protested. 

"Liar." Niall said, pouting. 

"Ridiculous." I mumbled. 

"What are you and Harry doing back there anyway? You've been mumbling about shit this whole flight." Zayn asked, craning his neck over the seat. Before he could see, I quickly pulled my hand out of Harry's and put it in my lap. 

"Just discussing things that don't concern you." Harry replied. 

"Well fine." Zayn sat back down and whispered something to Liam. I shot Niall a look as he sat there, beaming. 

For the rest of the flight I either slept or listened to music with Harry. By the time we reached New York City, it was 11am EST. We got off of the plane and braced ourselves for the crowd of fans waiting for us. Sure enough, there were at least 200 girls in the main area of the airport. We signed autographs and took pictures for about an hour before heading to the hotel. I was sat across from Harry in the car and he kept rubbing his foot on the side of my leg. No one noticed, but I sure as hell did. It was driving me nuts. He moved his feet to my lap and, of course, purposely dug his heel into my crotch.

"Is something wrong, Lou?" Harry asked, a stupid grin on his face. 

"You know, I think there is." My heart was swelling at his touch, the other boys looking at us quizzically. 

"And what is that?" Harry asked. 

"Maybe you should ask your damn foot." I huffed. He laughed I couldn't help but crack a smile as well. 

"What are you two talking about?" Liam asked. I looked up at Harry and stared at him. 

"Harry's teasing me." I whined. 

"Jesus, you two. I swear." Liam said, shaking his head. I stuck my tongue out at Harry and he just pressed his foot against my torso. We finally arrived at the hotel, going straight inside instead of interacting with the fans. 

"I'm assuming that you and Louis want a room together?" Niall quietly asked Harry. 

"Yeah, thanks." He replied. Liam and Niall decided to share a room as well, leaving Zayn alone. We received our key cards and a copy of the other boys' before stepping into the elevator. We made our way up to our room and were ecstatic when we learned that it was on the top floor. "I bet the view will be great." Harry said giddily, sticking the key card in the door. The hotel was a high rise, so I was a bit excited as well. We opened the door and my jaw practically hit the floor. We'd stayed in nice hotels before, but not this nice. 

"Oh shit." I breathed. There was a small kitchen to the right, equipped with expensive-looking appliances and marble countertops. Next to that was a mahogany dining set, then the living room. The living room had a sleek, marble fireplace with a huge TV above it and two pristine white couches surrounding it. "This is sick." I stepped into the middle of the room, looking around. There were two bedrooms on either side of the suite and I decided to take the one on the left. I opened the door to find a king bed with about a dozen pillows on it and an attached bathroom. 

"Louis, this place is nicer than our house." Harry said, walking into my room. "Hey... your bed is bigger than mine." He frowned. 

"I guess you'll just have to sleep in here then." 

"I guess I will." He smirked before hooking his fingers through the belt loops on my jeans and tugging me into him. I looked up at him before standing on my toes to kiss him. I had been waiting to do that the entire flight. His grip on me tightened as he stooped down a little, his lips hungrily kissing me back. I heard the door open and we immediately separated. 

"Hello?" I heard Niall say. Thank god it was only him. 

"What?" I asked rather annoyed. I walked into the main room, Harry following. 

"These rooms are sick!" He exclaimed. 

"Could you please let us know when you're going to be coming in here?" Harry asked. 

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked seriously. Harry and I remained silent and he stepped closer to us. "Are you going to explain what's going on? Like, all of the details?"

"Do you really have time for that?" I asked. 

"Don't have to be anywhere until 3." He said, sitting down on one of the sofas. I looked at Harry and he shrugged. We sat on the other sofa, my hands nervously picking at my jeans. Harry slid his hand onto my thigh and I calmed down a little. "So you two are together?" Niall asked, diving right in. 

"Not necessarily." Harry said. My face fell a little, but then I remembered that we never actually had confirmed anything. 

"What do you mean?"

"We aren't dating. We're just... together." He said simply. 

"Are you going to date?" Harry and I just looked at each other and shrugged.

"Not sure." I said. 

"So you basically just do everything that couples do without having the label." 

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I replied. Niall sat back and studied us for a few seconds. "How long has this been going on?" 

"A month?" Harry said, unsure. 

"A month?!" Niall asked in disbelief. "You've been hiding this for a month?"

"I've had feelings for Harry for a year, though." I admitted. 

"I've had feelings for Louis for a while." Harry said, pursing his lips. 

"How did this even start?" Niall asked. I tried to remember, the memory of him nearly kissing me popping into my mind. 

"We didn't speak during the tour because I didn't want to like him." I began. "We got home and he asked why I hated him and then we made up. I'm not sure what happened, but he sort of tried to kiss me. He was so close, but then Liam called and scared the shit out of us. I guess from then on, we just started acting differently."

"Is that why you were acting so weird at dinner that one night?" We nodded and Niall ran a hand through his hair. "And when we wrote You and I?" We nodded again and he sighed. "That makes a lot more sense now."

"We actually kissed that night after dinner. That was the first time." I said quietly. 

"Jesus." Niall sighed. "So you lied to us that one night we slept over?" I slowly nodded and Niall frowned. "We told you that we wouldn't care." He said softly. 

"It was too soon." Harry defended. 

"So a month later is still too soon?" We stayed silent and Niall shook his head. "You need to tell the other boys before they find out on their own. You almost blew it today on the plane. Couldn't keep your mouths off each other until the flight ended?" He laughed. I was glad that he wasn't mad at us. 

"I couldn't help it. He called me cute!" I grumbled. 

"You two are actually kind of adorable." Niall said, surprising me. 

"Thanks." Harry smiled. 

"Louis, you never told me what was going to happen with Eleanor." Harry laughed and squeezed my thigh. 

"Yes, Louis. What is going to happen with Eleanor?" I glared at him before responding. 

"Management hired her as a beard. It was either that or Harry and I had to live separately."

"When did you tell them?"

"Two weeks ago. Magee about shit himself. He even called us animals." I recalled. 

"What a dick." Niall muttered. 

"Exactly."

"So you two are okay? I was really worried when you weren't speaking during the tour."

"Yes, Niall. If we weren't okay we wouldn't have been close to making out before you barged in." Harry scoffed. Niall's cheeks reddened and he nodded. 

"Sorry. Just wanted to clear everything up."

"You good now?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said, standing up. "Thanks."

"You aren't allowed to tell the boys a thing." I reminded. 

"I promise I won't." He walked to the door and gave us a small wave. "Don't have too much fun. We have to leave at 3."

"Thanks, Niall." I said flatly. He laughed before closing the door behind him, leaving Harry and I alone. 

"I guess that could've gone worse." Harry said. 

"Yeah. It definitely could have."


	10. Chapter Ten

Harry's P.O.V.

We were backstage at 'Katie', which was apparently some talk show. I was a bit nervous, so I found myself grabbing Louis' hand. Something about his touch always seemed to calm me down. I heard one of the crew members tell us it was time to make our appearance, so I let go of Louis and we headed onto the set. 

"Hi boys!" Katie said excitedly. We all greeted her and hugged her before sitting down on the couch. It was a tight fit and somehow I ended up on the end. Louis was two people away from me and I was a little upset. "Would you like another couch?" She asked. 

"No thank you. We're good." Liam said. 

"Okay. So, boys. You've just released your new single 'Best Song Ever'. Am I correct?"

"Yes." We all said. 

"What makes this song the best song ever?"

"It's got a little more edge to it compared to our other two albums." Zayn said. "We're really excited about it."

"Now, I've heard the track and I must say, it's really quite good. The video is really cute as well!" 

"The video was loads of fun to film." Louis said excitedly. 

"Very messy." I added. The crowd laughed and I beamed. 

"I'm sure it was!" Katie replied. She asked a few more questions before the question was asked. "So boys, I'm sure your fans are dying to know. Who here is single?" Niall and I raised our hands and I looked over at Louis who was frowning slightly. 

"Louis, are you newly taken?" Katie asked. 

"I am." He nodded. 

"Tell us about this new girlfriend!" Of course it had to be a girl. 

"Her name is Eleanor Calder. She's really great. We get on really well and I'm just so happy to be with her." I must admit, he was really good at lying. 

"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you two."

"Thank you." He gave her a weak smile. 

"Of course!" She grinned. "Now, you boys are going to perform your new single, right?" Thank god she switched topics.

"Yes we are." Niall said. We stood up and made our way over to the little stage they had set up. The intro to our song began and I tapped the microphone to the beat. We sang the song almost perfectly, Liam's voice cracking during his part. Other than that, it was pretty good for the first live performance. 

"Well, ladies and gentlemen. One Direction!" We waved before the show cut to a commercial and we were escorted backstage. I was still a little flustered about Louis sounding so affectionate toward Eleanor, so I pulled him aside as we walked. 

"What are you doing?" He asked as I pulled him into a bathroom. I shut the door behind him and immediately began kissing him. It took him a couple seconds to kiss back, his hands resting on my backside. I pressed him against the wall, slowly grinding my lower half into his. I could tell that he was turned on and I was as well. There was a knock on the door and we broke apart, Louis' lips looking red and a bit swollen. 

"Are you two in there?" Zayn asked. My eyes widened and I looked at Louis frantically. 

"Um, yeah." I said.

"Can you like, come out? We're going back to the hotel." 

"Yeah, hold on." I focused on Louis who was panicking as well. I knew Zayn was still standing outside the door and was waiting on us. "Louis." I whispered. "Your lips are really red."

"So are yours!" He whispered back. 

"We're fucked. We're so fucked." I groaned. I opened the door and was greeted by an annoyed Zayn. 

"What were you doing in there?" He asked. 

"Just, uh..." I looked at Louis for help. He made a face and I knew that I had stalled too long. Zayn's stare moved to my lips and he narrowed his eyes. 

"Were you two... kissing?" He asked, confused.. I felt my stomach drop and I saw Louis look at his feet.

"What?" I laughed nervously. "No!"

"Yes you were." Zayn laughed. 

"Please don't tell Liam." Louis begged. Zayn's mouth formed into a smirk and he crossed his arms. 

"This is gold." He chuckled. "You two are seriously a thing? I had only said that as a joke!" 

"Shut up." I spat.

"I'm not making fun of you!" He said quickly, the smile leaving his face. "I just didn't think that you were actually together." 

"We aren't now let's leave." Louis rushed. I followed him to the exit, Zayn walking behind us.

"Aren't we going to talk about it?" He asked. 

"When we get back." I said. We met Niall and Liam in the car and made our way back to the hotel. Great, I thought. Now we have to tell Liam. We arrived at the hotel and Zayn followed Louis and I to our room. 

"Should we just have Liam come as well? I don't want to explain everything again." Louis suggested. 

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." I texted Liam and told him to come over to our room. The three of us sat down in our living area as we waited. Finally, Liam showed up looking very concerned. 

"What's up?" He asked, walking over to us. He sat next to Zayn and I gulped. 

"Um." Louis said.

"Louis and I are sort of together and Eleanor is just a cover up." I blurted. Liam's eyes widened in shock before a smile spread across his face. 

"I'm so glad you've finally grown the balls to tell us." He laughed. 

"What?" 

"I already knew something was going on. But hey, congrats." 

"Are you going to explain?" Zayn asked. I nodded and began telling them almost the exact same story that Louis had told Niall. Once I finished, both guys had blank stares on their faces. 

"A month?" Zayn said. "Why wouldn't you tell us sooner?"

"It's a bit complicated." Louis said.

"I thought it was a little strange of you to suddenly start seeing Eleanor." Liam added. 

"She really is a lovely girl." Louis sighed. "She's just not, well, my type."

"Yeah, your type is guys." I joked. 

"Don't fucking start with me." 

"I will if I want to." I pinched his arm and he whined. 

"Oww. Harry!" He scowled at me and scooted to the end of the couch. 

"Okay, well, we'll leave you two alone. Thanks for finally telling us." Zayn said, standing up.

"We're sorry." Louis said.

"For what?"

"Keeping this from you."

"And being together in general." I added. They gave me a strange look and I shrugged. 

"Harry, you have nothing to apologize for. You can't help who you have feelings for." Liam said. 

"Yeah, man. We still love you two just the same as before." Zayn added. Louis stood up, grabbing my hand to pull me up as well. 

"Thanks." He said. 

"We'll always support you two no matter what." Liam said with a smile. 

"Have fun doing whatever it is that you two do." Zayn smirked. 

"Shut up." I laughed. We said goodbye and I let out a sigh of relief once they were gone. "That went well." 

"Thank god." Louis was still holding my hand and I really enjoyed it. 

"I like when we hold hands." I said quietly. Louis looked at me before responding.

"I do too." 

"I also like when we lay in bed together." I began leading Louis back to his room and a grin spread across his face. 

"I do too." We reached the bedroom and I fell down on the bed, Louis standing between my legs. 

"I also really like it when we kiss."

"I do too." He put his hands on either side of my chest before stooping his head down to kiss me. It was a very gentle kiss, but it was perfect for the moment. I lightly ran my fingers down his back as our lips worked against one another, sending tingles down my spine. I moved my body further up on the bed, Louis moving with me. He lowered his lower half onto me a bit, his kiss becoming a little more heated. I moved my hands to his chest and slid them down, leaving them at the top of his jeans. One hand slid under his shirt and traced his abs while the other stayed put. His hands fumbled with the hem of my shirt, desperate to remove it. After a couple of awkward movements, both of us were shirtless. 

"Perfect." I said under my breath as I ran my fingers down his perfectly sculpted torso. My fingers reached the button of his jeans and a smirk formed on my lips. My hands quickly undid the button and unzipped his jeans before pushing them to his knees. 

"Such a tease." He mumbled before reattching our lips. I wrapped my legs around his, my heels digging into the back of his thigh. I pushed his jeans down to his ankles and opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to take over. His arousal pressed into the zipper of my jeans and my erection became painful. Louis must have noticed my discomfort because he immediately got rid of my pants. 

His lips moved to my neck and he began sucking under my ear, surely leaving a bruise. The fact that our bare chests were touching was not making my 'manhood' any less painful.

"Louis." I gasped, his lips leaving my neck. He looked down at me, his eyes glistening. "I need something..." I didn't want to say it to him. It was still weird asking him to do such a thing. 

"What?" He was confused. I gulped and directed my eyes to my boxers. He looked down too, a stupid grin plastered onto his face. "Oh." He ground his hips into mine, making me bite down on his shoulder. This was surely some form of torture. 

"Please." I whined. He moved his hand to the top of my boxers before pushing them down, my erection now uncovered. 

"Jesus." He breathed. He wrapped a hand around me, slowly moving it back and forth. His eyebrows came together in concentration, his lip between his teeth. Everything he did only turned me on more, making my current state amost unbearable. I moved my mouth to his collarbone, giving him payback for the bruise he had given me. I felt his thumb brush over my tip and I froze, my body arching into him. 

"Lou." I groaned, my eyes fluttering back. My fingers moved to his boxers and I rubbed him over the fabric, resulting in a satisfied grunt from him. I rubbed a bit harder, making his eyes screw shut. I felt a tingling sensation crawl up my body and my breathing became rapid. I knew that I was close and apparently Louis did too. He began pumping faster, my heart rate sky-rocketing. My mind went blank as I came all over his chest, his lips moving down to mine. 

"You're mine, Harry Styles. All. Mine." I nodded, still trying to regain my composure. He gave a damn good hand job and I knew that I owed him. He laid on top of me for a bit, intentionally spreading my come onto my chest as well. 

"I'm sticky." I whined. 

"Go shower. We're going to Liam and Niall's room in about twenty minutes." I pushed him off of me and sat up, completely exposed. 

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Surprise!" He said, giving me a weak smile. I shook my head and went into the bathroom to shower. 

~

When I had finished up in the bathroom, Louis was waiting for me in the living area. His hair was damp and he looked adorable in a black Vans shirt and black basketball shorts. 

"Finally!" He groaned, standing up from the sofa. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the door. "They have pizza and I'm starving." 

"Where's their room?"

"802 I believe." We passed a few rooms before finding theirs, Louis knocking with his unoccupied hand.

"Hellllllo!" Niall said cheerfully, swinging the door open. 

"I heard there was pizza?" I asked, stepping into their room. It looked exactly like ours, minus the adorable guy walking around. 

"You heard correctly! In the kitchen." He sat back down next to Liam, and Louis and I walked to the kitchen. 

"What do you want, love?" I asked, grabbing two plates. 

"Love?" Louis' cheeks were pink and I couldn't help but laugh. 

"Yeah."

"Um, I can get it myself, Harry." He laughed, taking a plate from me.

"No, Louis. I insist on getting it for you. I owe you." I winked and he slapped his hand against his forehead. 

"Fine." He grumbled. "Just load up the plate." 

"Thank you." I sang before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Zayn walked over to us just as my lips left his face and he coughed. 

"Sorry. Don't want to, erm, interrupt anything."

"There's nothing to interrupt." Louis said quickly. 

"Sure."

"Just getting pizza." I said. I handed Louis his plate before walking over to the couches where Niall and Liam were sitting. Louis sat next to me, of course. 

"Nice love bites." Liam snorted. 

"Thanks." Louis and I said in unison. We looked at each other and started to laugh. 

"I didn't think it was possible, but you two are acting even more couple-y than before." Niall commented. 

"I agree!" Zayn said, sitting down. 

"We aren't a-" Louis began before I cut him off.

"We try." I gave Louis a side glance and his mouth was agape. I wanted to call him my boyfriend more than anything. 

"Yeah... We definitely try." 

He needed to be mine. And soon.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Louis' P.O.V.

"I'm so putting this on Twitter." I laughed. Harry was attempting to do a handstand on the dining table, failing miserably. We were pretty drunk, once again, and doing utterly ridiculous dares. Niall had already licked the inside of the toilet bowl. Zayn was the most sober, only having a couple beers. 

"Management won't be happy." He warned. 

"Who gives a fuck?" I snapped a picture of Harry falling, immediately posting it.

"Drunk and hot. Just how we like it." I sent the tweet, laughing to myself. Management was definitely going to be pissed. 

"I give up." Harry said, jumping down from the table and standing next to me. 

"You're too lanky." Niall said. 

"I bet I can do it." Liam pushed himself onto the table before successfully holding a handstand for about five seconds. "Told you!" He cheered, stepping back onto the carpet. 

"Oh yeah? I can..." I thought about something obscene to attempt, a seemingly perfect idea coming to mind. "Lay flat on the balcony railing." 

"Louis." Harry said worriedly. Typical Harry, being overprotective. 

"No, no, I really can." I walked out the door and onto the large balcony, the other boys following. We were really high up. I shook away the nerves and stepped forward. I hoisted myself onto the metal railing and sat up, swinging my legs over the edge. I swallowed, looking down. I was very high up. One slip and I was gone. 

"Louis, don't." Harry pleaded. I looked back at him and saw fear etched into his features. 

"If you can do this, you win." Niall said. I nodded and slowly moved onto my stomach, gripping onto the railing for dear life. This was such a bad idea. Liam smirked at Niall before pretending to push me, making me flinch. Harry must have thought that I was falling because he grabbed my waist and pulled me off of the railing. I was wrapped in his arms, his head in my hair. There was no way my rapid heartbeat had gone unnoticed. 

"Harry! You ruined it!" Niall complained. 

"You guys are dumbasses." Zayn mumbled, walking back inside. Liam followed, leaving the three of us outside. 

"Don't ever scare me like that again." Harry said into my hair. His voice was laced with relief, giving me chills. I loved his voice more than anything. 

"He wasn't going to fall." Niall defended. "He's Louis."

"I don't care." Harry replied. "Give us a minute?" Niall rolled his eyes before walking inside, shutting the door behind him. I was mentally preparing myself for a lecture, but it never came. 

"I'm fine, Harry." I groaned. 

"I'm shaking. Look at this." He held out his hand and, sure enough, he was trembling like crazy. I took his hand and placed it on my chest, my fingers lacing through his. 

"I'm here and in one piece. Don't worry."

"You're so stupid when you're drunk."

"So are you."

"I didn't nearly kill myself doing a dare though." He snorted. "Actually, it wasn't even a dare. You're just stupid."

"Just enjoy me while you can." I sighed. He pressed his lips against my forehead before moving them down to my mouth. Thank god we were on the top floor so no paps would find us. We stayed like that for a few seconds before the door opened. 

"No making out on our balcony!" Liam said jokingly. 

"Couple of lovesick bastards, you two." Zayn chuckled. These boys always ruined mine and Harry's perfect moments. I grabbed Harry's wrist, pulling him inside. 

"We're going to go." I said. Harry looked down at me and I squeezed his arm. 

"So soon?" Niall asked. 

"It's 2am?"

"Seriously? Jesus."

"Yeah, we're a bit tired." We walked to the door and I glanced at Harry. His eyes were on me and he was smirking. "Goodnight."

"Don't get too rough." Niall joked. I groaned at his stupid joke and stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind us. 

"Tired?" Harry asked. 

"Tired of not being able to kiss you." He grinned so much his dimples popped into place and we nearly sprinted back to our room, slamming the door behind us when we reached it. I pushed Harry against the wall, my lips attacking his. My tongue immediately found its way into Harry's mouth, making him moan with pleasure. God I loved the taste of his lips. No girl had ever given me this satisfaction before. My fingertips dug into his hips as I worked my lips against his, making him hard in seconds. I loved that I had that effect on him. I walked us into my room, not breaking the kiss. Once he was under me on the bed, I pulled away. 

"Louis." He whined, gripping my backside. 

"I need to change for bed." I climbed off of him before stripping down to my boxers. Harry's eyes raked down my body and I felt my face heat up. He was checking me out?

"Can I feel your abs?" Harry asked shyly. I got the feeling that he hadn't meant to say that out loud. I smirked before sitting in front of him and placing his huge hand on my stomach. His mouth was open slightly as he slowly ran his fingers through the curves of my torso. His fingers were so long and smooth. It was actually quite a nice feeling and I wouldn't mind if he did it more often. 

"How long have you been waiting to do this?" I asked. 

"Way too long." He said, still focusing on my abdomen. "This is fucking hot." He pressed his palm against my stomach before planting a kiss on my lips. "Let me change." He stood up and took off his shirt and pants, winking at me as he did so. I got under the duvet and pretended to fall asleep. "Hey... I wasn't done yet." He pouted. 

"I'm asleep." I mumbled. He crawled in next to me, throwing his arm around my waist to pull me against his chest. I felt a lump on my ass and my heart raced. "Your dick is on my ass."

"That's the point." He whispered. 

"Sexual fuck." He thrusted his hips into me once and I squealed. "Jesus! Give me some warning!"

"You're adorable."

"No I'm not." I argued. I was not going to be called adorable. Especially by my best mate. I was a man. 

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure you are, babe." He giggled. 

"Babe?"

"Babe." 

"Babe." I repeated. The word sounded odd on my tongue, but in a strange way I also liked using it. Harry and I could have pet names, right?

"Babe." 

"Okay now this is getting creepy." I laughed. "I'm going to sleep." 

"Goodnight, babe." Harry said against my neck. Chills ran down my spine, but I ignored them and shut my eyes, attempting to fall asleep. It didn't work. I laid there for a while, just thinking about things. It was quiet for so long that I was sure Harry was asleep. I flipped over so I was facing Harry and I didn't realize that he was awake as well. 

"I can't sleep." He said. 

"Me either." I looked at the clock and saw that it was 3am. Jet lag was killing us. 

"I usually sleep well when I'm with you." He frowned. His thumb began rubbing circles into my hip and it instantly comforted me. 

"Jet lag."

"Ah, yes. That's it." 

"I like sleeping with you." I pressed my cheek against his chest and goosebumps formed on my skin. 

"Just stop being adorable and try to sleep, Lou. I'm too tired for cute remarks."

"I'm not cute."

"Shhhh." He smiled. I felt his chin rest on top of my head and I became very drowsy. Being this close to him made me feel so safe. After what seemed like hours of silence, I finally felt myself drift off to sleep.

~

I opened my eyes to find Harry's head on my chest, his legs tangled with mine. He was still asleep and I smiled at the thought of finally having him. 

"Aw." I heard someone say. My eyes darted to the doorway and I saw Liam and Niall standing there staring at us. What the fuck were they doing here?

"What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled. Harry's eyes snapped open and his head lifted from my chest. He looked so confused.

"You two weren't answering your phones and we have an interview in an hour." Niall said. 

"Thought we'd put your extra key to use." Liam added. Embarrassment flooded through me as I realized our current situation. Harry and I were in bed together wearing nothing but boxers.

"Fuck off." Harry said groggily, his head falling back onto my chest.

"What time is it?"

"One." Niall said, checking his phone. One?!

"Harry, get up." I threw the duvet back before swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I didn't care about the boys' reactions, I just wanted them to leave. "And you two, leave." I snapped. 

"God, you two are cute." Liam mumbled, walking into the living room. "See you in an hour!" I heard the door shut and I cursed under my breath. 

"Embarrassing." I breathed. 

"Why?"

I looked over at Harry who was sitting up now, rubbing his eye. He looked so cute when he was tired. That was by far my favorite version of him. "Our two best mates just saw us half-naked in bed together. Isn't that a bit weird to you?"

"Yeah, but not embarrassing."

"It's just weird." I pulled on a pair of black jeans before throwing on a plain white t-shirt. I was amazed at how relaxed he was about this whole thing. 

"Are you embarrassed of being with me?" Harry asked seriously. 

"Harry..." I sighed. 

"You are." He stood up and walked to his suitcase. 

"No, I'm not."

"You just said that you were!" He said, raising his voice. "What are we Louis? Are we still friends with benefits? Are we more than that?" More? I wanted to be more than friends so badly. 

"I... I don't know."

"I don't want to make anything official until you're okay with what we are doing. I can't be in a relationship with you if you're embarrassed of me." He threw on an outfit similar to mine and I narrowed my eyes at him. 

"I'm not embarrassed of you!" I said loudly. "It just makes me uncomfortable to show affection in front of the boys!"

"Embarrassment." He said flatly. 

"Harry-"

"I get it. Let me know when you're ready to accept the fact that you're bisexual, Louis. There's nothing you can do about it." He walked out of the room and headed to his room. 

"Actually, yes, there is something I can do!" I yelled. "I can actually date Eleanor and basically be straight! That would surely fix things!" He slammed the door and I slumped my shoulders. I was so stupid. Today was going to suck. 

~

Harry's P.O.V.

"Did something happen between you two?" Zayn asked quietly. We were at another radio interview for Sirius XM, five minutes away from being on air. The other boys were currently fiddling around with Niall's phone doing god knows what on it.

"I don't think now is a great time to talk about it."

Louis and I hadn't even looked at each other since our little fight back at the hotel. The fact that he was embarrassed to be with me really hurt. I knew that he was scared of our relationship, but I hated knowing that he was worried about being with me. I was supposed to comfort him, not put him on edge.

"Just sum it up."

"He's embarrassed to be with me." I said lowly. It was still weird talking to the boys about this. 

"He's scared."

"He's embarrassed." I repeated. 

"Harry, there's a difference between being scared and being embarrassed. You need to talk to him." I saw Niall looking at us and I sighed. 

"Just let it go for now. We'll be fine." I wasn't sure if that was true, but I hoped it was. Louis was finally mine and I'd blown up and pushed him away. Both of us were scared, to be honest. If even one pap found out, we were ruined. I shoved that thought into the back of mind which seemed to be overflowing with worries. One more bad thought and I was going to lose it. 

"I'm Spyder Harrison with the Hits 1 Top 40 Countdown and today we have a special guest! One Direction is here!" I snapped out of my thoughts when the other boys cheered. "They've just released their brand new single, 'Best Song Ever', which is avaliable now on iTunes. We'll be playing it here in a couple minutes. Now, boys, what's this song about?"

Louis took the question, answering it smoothly. "Our fans actually inspired this one. They stay up literally all night supporting us and it's crazy. The song is basically saying how in ten to twenty years, they'll remember listening to our music and staying up all night. They might not remember the words to the songs, but they'll have the memories of being in this whole group and we will as well." Nice answer, Louis. Too bad we didn't write the song. 

"That has a deeper meaning than one would think!" The host laughed. He asked a couple more questions before going to a break and playing the single. Zayn pulled me from my chair and dragged me into the hallway. 

"Spill."

"Zayn-"

"Now." I sighed in defeat and leaned against the wall. 

"Liam and Niall walked into our room this morning and Louis and I were in bed together." Zayn's eyes widened and I waved my hands frantically. "No! Not like that!" 

"I was gonna say." He half laughed. "Keep going."

"Well, Louis freaked out and after they left he said that that was embarrassing. If he wasn't embarrassed of me, I don't think he would've acted so weird, you know?" Zayn stared at me, the corners of his mouth curving upwards. 

"That's what you got upset about? I'd be embarrassed if one of you walked in on Perrie and I in bed! Harry, he likes you. A lot. You need to stop worrying about him leaving because if I'm correct, he's been in love with you for a year. He's not going anywhere unless you shut him out. You two need to mend things soon because you fucking live together."

"I'm just scared." I mumbled. I had definitely blown up over nothing. Stupid me.

"I know. Being in love with your best mate is probably pretty stressful, but you've got us behind you. Management isn't too fond of you two, but they're still a little supportive." I rolled my eyes and he corrected himself. "Okay, Magee is a bag of shit, but there are a couple people who support you."

"A couple. Do you know how many fans we have? How many paps are dying to hear a story like this?" I knew that quite a few fans already supported Louis and I, but I'm sure their parents didn't. Who would let their kid be influenced by a band with gays in it? 

"No one has to know, Harry. The people who know right now are the only people that absolutely have to." He had a point. And with Eleanor clinging onto Louis, no one would suspect a thing. 

"I need to talk to Louis." I exhaled rubbing my forehead. This obviously wasn't going to fix itself no matter how badly I wanted it to. I was never good at confrontation. 

"Yeah, you do. Let's go back in. The song's probably almost ended." We walked back into the interview room and all eyes turned on us. Louis' stare was icy, making my insides churn. Was he really that pissed at me? I guess he had a reason to be. 

"Later." I mouthed to him. He lightly shook his head and looked away, focusing on some shit on the wall. I clenched my fists and sat back down in my chair. Two could play at this game.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Louis' P.O.V.

Harry hadn't spoken to me for four days now, unless he absolutely had to. We were back in the UK, our interviews in the states going fairly well. It was our second day back and Harry had somehow managed to ignore me even with our close proximity. He usually stayed in his room, but he did come out to eat every once in a while. 

I was sitting on the sofa watching TV when there was a knock at the door. I dropped my bag of chips and brushed the crumbs off of my shirt before walking over to the door to answer it. To my surprise, Zayn was standing on the other side of it. 

"Hi." He said, stepping into the apartment. "Came to see Harry." 

"Uh, okay. He's been in his room since we got back. Hasn't spoken a word to me. I don't know what his problem is." I sat back down on the couch and continued inhaling the bag of chips. Harry's door opened then quickly closed, making me a bit curious as to what Zayn came here for. The idea of eavesdropping came to mind, but I told myself it was a bad idea. Then again...

Before I could overthink it, I was tiptoeing down the hall to Harry's room. I stood outside his door, my head leaning against the wall. I could hear voices, but couldn't quite decipher what they were saying. 

"He already hates me. There's no point." I heard Harry say. What? Did he think that I hated him? Maybe I was just being self-centered and he wasn't even talking about me. 

"You love him." Zayn said, sounding as if he was almost trying to convince Harry.

"I can't love him. He's my best mate and friends don't do that." My heart deflated when I realized that this conversation was about me. 

"Stop denying your feelings, Harry. I know you love Louis and I'm pretty sure you know it too. You're just too scared to admit it." 

"Don't act like you know what I'm feeling, Zayn." Harry spat. 

"I'm not pretending to know anything. I can tell that you love him by how protective you are over him. If someone even jokingly bullies him, you swoop in and defend him. If he's in trouble, you take the blame. That one night at the hotel when you ripped him off of that dumb railing on the balcony- Harry. Your actions speak louder than your words. Fuck, the way you look at him, like the sun shines out of his goddamned ass. You can deny your feelings for him a thousand times and I won't believe you. People notice these things. It's okay to love him, you know. Love can happen between anyone." I felt a tear fall down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. Zayn was wrong. Harry couldn't love me. Did I love him? I'd never really thought about that. I knew that I really liked him, but love? I loved everything about him, but I wasn't sure if I loved him. 

I heard footsteps coming toward the door and I panicked, ducking into my bedroom. I heard Harry say goodbye to Zayn and he went back into his room. My phone vibrated and I saw that I had a text from management. 

"Date with Eleanor tonight. Wear something semi-formal. No Vans, please. The car will be there at 6." 

I looked at the clock and groaned, seeing that it was already 5. I decided to shower and do my hair to pass the time. When I was finished getting ready, it was 5:45. I was wearing black jeans and a white shirt, a black jacket on top. Unfortunately, my Vans had been banned from my attire, so I wore a pair of black dress shoes. I walked out of my room and into the living room, seeing Harry in the kitchen. He looked up at me and I could basically see his pupils dialate from across the room. He fumbled with the glass in his hands before carefully setting it down and walking into the living area. 

"Where are you going?" He asked quietly. He seemed nervous to speak to me and that broke my heart. I wanted to let him know that I wasn't mad at him, but I wasn't sure how. 

"I have a date." His head dropped and I added, "With Eleanor." 

"Oh."

"Yeah." The tension in the air was almost suffocating. "Harry, you know I don't hate you, right? I'm not even mad at you." 

"Then why have you been ignoring me?" He asked, stepping a bit closer. 

"Because you've been ignoring me." 

"Oh." I felt my phone vibrate and I knew that the car was here. The one day they choose to be early...

"I have to go." I didn't want to leave him, especially for Eleanor. This fake relationship was bullshit. 

"Okay. Have fun on your date." He said awkwardly. I nodded my head once then turned to walk out the door. I didn't want to leave. I begrudgingly walked to the elevator, dreading what was to come. Eleanor was nice and all, but she wasn't Harry. No one could ever live up to Harry. He was everything I needed. 

The door opened and I stepped into the lobby, giving the doorman a curtsy wave. Once I reached the car, I took a breath before opening the door. Eleanor was sitting in the back, smiling at me as I slid into the seat. 

"Hi." She said softly. 

"How are you?" What was I supposed to say to her? 

"I'm okay. What about you?" 

"I've been better." She gave me a sympathetic look then grabbed my hand. 

"I know this sucks, but I promise I'll make it as easy as possible, okay?" God bless her for being so understanding. 

"Thank you." The rest of the ride was a bit awkward, the two of us not really sure what to say to the other. I firmly gripped her wrist as we walked into the restaurant, paps snapping pictures like crazy. Management had definitely told them about tonight beforehand. 

"You deal with that every day?" She asked as we sat down at our table. 

"You wouldn't believe the shit we encounter."

"I'm sorry."

"We're the ones who chose this lifestyle. We can only blame ourselves, really." Although I would really like to go out in public peacefully every once in a while, I wouldn't trade my job for the world. 

"That's no way to think." 

"If we blame the paps for mobbing us, we get called out for being ungrateful. We sort of have to think like that." 

"Kudos to you for sticking it out after all this time." She smiled. "You're brave." 

"I guess you could say that." Is falling for your best friend brave? I certainly think it is. A very tall and thin waitress came to take our orders, her eyes lighting up when she saw me. 

"What can I get you two to drink?" She asked, her voice a bit shaky. It was always funny when people got nervous around us. I would never understand why they did considering we were people, just like them. 

"I'll have a sweet tea." Eleanor said. At least she wasn't one of those girls who only got water and a salad. 

"I'll have a Corona." She nodded and walked off, leaving Eleanor and I alone, once again. 

"Don't get too tipsy tonight." She grinned. "I have a feeling Harry wouldn't like that."

"Well, at the moment Harry doesn't like me. I'm not going to have to worry about pleasing him for a while." 

"What?" Eleanor looked at me, concern etched into her features. 

"Harry thinks that I'm embarrassed of him. I'm not embarrassed at all. I'm just, I don't know..."

"Scared?" 

"Yeah." 

"He loves you." She said lowly. There was that word again. Love. People needed to stop throwing that word around. It was giving me a headache. 

"No he doesn't."

"Louis, you're blind if you don't see it." The waitress came back, setting our drinks in front of us. 

"Are you ready to order?" 

"Yes." I looked over the menu, settling on crab cakes. "I'll have the crab cakes." She turned to Eleanor and I noticed the poor girl's hand shaking. 

"I'll just have the chicken skewers." She handed the girl our menus and I was glad when she walked away. "Anyway, Louis, you're dumber than you look. He's in love with you. Completely infatuated, actually. I've met him less than five times and I can already tell that he's whipped." This couldn't be right. If he liked me so much, why was he pushing me away?

"You're wrong." I drank half of my beer in one sip, Eleanor's eyes narrowing. 

"I want you to go home and kiss him. Don't say anything to him before you do it. If he kisses back, he does not hate you."

"No! We haven't spoken for four days! I can't just go up and kiss him!" Was she out of her mind? 

"He's scared and you're scared. Someone needs to break down this stupid barrier already and let the other know that nothing can come between you two." I thought we had already broken down that wall, but maybe I was wrong. 

"But-"

"Just do it." She whined. 

"Fine." 

"Good. Now let's stop talking about your boyfriend. You're making me jealous." She grinned, letting me know that she was joking. 

"We aren't dating. We never were."

"He's still your boyfriend." I rolled my eyes at her and sat back, crossing my arms. "He's going to be soon, anyway." What did she mean by that?" 

~

Harry's P.O.V.

I had laid in bed during Louis' entire date, trying to put together a decent explanation for my god awful behavior. Of course, I couldn't come up with one. I was finally piecing one together when I heard the front door open. Every bit of confidence I had built up over the past couple hours vanished, leaving me with an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. His footsteps grew closer to my room and I silently prayed that he wasn't coming in here. The door creaked open and my mouth went dry. Maybe if I just pretended like I was asleep he wouldn't bother me. After all, the lights were off and I was buried under my duvet. 

He walked up to my bed before sitting down next to me. What the hell was he doing? I felt him come closer until his lips grazed mine. What?! My eyes shot open and he jumped back, stumbling a bit. 

"What are you doing?" I asked loudly. 

"Do you love me?" He asked quietly, completely catching me off guard. I wanted to say no, but I knew that I'd be lying to him. I just sat there staring at him for what seemed like hours. "That's what I thought." He mumbled, turning around to leave. 

"Y-yes." I whispered. He froze, his eyes not leaving the door ahead of him. "I'm in love with you, Louis." I said a bit louder. He turned to face me, a tear streaking down his perfect cheek. "I'm sorry I ruined everything. We weren't even together and I ruined us. I love you, Louis and I will do anything to get you to forgive me. Anything." I was basically pleading for his forgiveness at this point, making me sound even more pathetic than I already was. 

"Harry." He breathed, striding over to me. I felt his arms wrap around my waist, his head resting on my shoulder. "God, Harry. I think I'm in love with you, too." My heart nearly exploded at his words. He was in love with me. Louis goddamn Tomlinson was in love with me. This was more than the strong feelings we had confessed before. This was love and it was making me smile like the biggest idiot to ever grace the earth. 

I lifted his chin up so his eyes were lined with mine, both of us tearing up. I needed to kiss him. I moved my lips to the one thing that I had desperately craved over the past few days. I was ecstatic when I felt him kiss back. My hands latched onto his shirt, making sure that he wasn't going anywhere. I had missed holding him. I had missed the way he would snuggle into me before we slept, making me feel safe and secure. I had even missed his fucking scent, which nearly drove me up the wall. Louis was my main source of comfort and security, and without him, I was lost. 

He pulled away from the kiss before standing up. "I will never be embarrassed of you." Before I could respond, he left the room, leaving me alone and confused. He left me wondering why the hell I'd even wasted those four days sulking around. I was in love with my best friend and he was in love with me. No more uncertainty of how strong each other's feelings were. 

He was all mine.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Louis' P.O.V.

Harry's singing filled my ears, waking me up from my slumber. I checked the clock and saw that it was 11:20am. Why was he so chipper today? 

"We will find our way, through the dark." I heard him sing. I smiled to myself, loving every second of his little concert. His voice grew closer, my door slowly opening. I pretended to be asleep, which was a bad idea. Harry jumped on top of me, making my eyes snap open. "Hi." He said innocently. 

"You're going to give away the bloody album screeching like that." I said, softly kneeing his stomach. Our faces were inches apart, his unruly hair cascading onto my face. 

"I knew you'd love to wake up to my voice." My stomach fluttered, the meaning behind his words making me feel like a school girl. 

"That sounds absolutely dreadful." Hurt flashed across his features for a split second before he realized that I was joking. 

"One more crack like that and I'm going to... to... do something to you." 

"Oh, really?" I said, intrigued. 

"Yeah." His lips were taunting me. I remembered our confessions from the previous night and smirked. 

"I'm going to kiss you right now, okay?" 

"Okay." He hovered above me, waiting for my lips to meet his. "Don't taunt me now, Lou. I don't have all day." 

"Just admiring your jawline, babe." I picked my head up and planted a soft kiss on his lips. His lips were addicting, always leaving me wanting more. They were like a new drug and they were going to drive me insane. He pulled away, smirking.

"God, I love you." He whispered. I grinned, basically shoving him into me for another kiss. My hand tangled in his curls, gripping them slightly. His toned and lean body was only separated from mine by the duvet, which I desperately wanted to remove. I wanted to feel his bare chest on mine, his legs tangled with my own. I wanted every part of him, but I knew that we had to take it slow. A simple hand job wasn't enough to fulfill my desires. Just thinking about doing more with him made my dick ache. 

Our mouths separated, his forehead still resting on mine. "I had breakfast ready, but it's probably cold. I wasn't expecting a morning snog." 

"What did you make?" I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Harry's gaze shifted from my hair to my torso, then back to my eyes. 

"Pancakes. Your hair is making me want to do dirty things to you." He was sitting on my lap, his legs on either side of my waist. 

"Really? How so?" I cocked my head. 

"Louis." Harry said flatly, lowering his eyes at me. 

"What?" I gave him an innocent smile and poked his bare chest. 

"It looks like sex hair." 

"Yeah, Eleanor and I had a crazy night last night. It's a shame she had to leave early this morning." I nearly vomited at my words, but I wanted to see Harry's reaction. By the looks of it, he wasn't too thrilled. 

"What?" He said thickly. 

"Harry." I leaned into him a bit. "I was joking, love." 

"Good. Now come eat my cold pancakes." He climbed off of me, my body already missing his. He was becoming a part of me and I wasn't sure that was a good thing. 

"Only if you carry me." I said pretending to be sleepy. I pouted my lip and Harry rolled his eyes. 

"And why on earth should I do that?" He asked, arms crossed. He was only wearing sweatpants and it was quite the view. I really wanted to stare at his muscular build for a while, but I don't think he would appreciate that. 

"Because I grew a pair and told you that I love you." He couldn't say no to that. His eyes narrowed and he took his bottom lip between his teeth. "I can always take it back." I said, turning away from him. I heard him sigh and soon felt the comforter being pulled back, his arms scooping me up. 

"I don't want you to take it back." 

"Didn't think so." I leaned my head against his toned chest as he carried me bridal-style to the kitchen. He placed me on the bar stool and scooted a plate of pancakes in front of me. 

"They're made with love." He said cheesily. 

"Really? Because these look like chocolate chips." I poked the food and wrinkled my nose. 

"Oh shut up and eat it." He snapped, a smile following. I obeyed and poured syrup all over my cold breakfast, nearly inhaling Harry's excellent cooking. I would never understand how he learned to cook so well. I couldn't do a damned thing in the kitchen.

"I'm glad we have a chef in this relationship." I bit my tongue at my words, remembering that we were not in a relationship. Harry looked unfazed.

"Relationship?" He asked, taking a sip of orange juice. 

"I didn't mean it like that." Covering up my words was becoming more and more difficult by the second. 

"Do you want it to be like that, though?" Was he asking me to be his boyfriend? The term "boyfriend" made me a bit uneasy, seeing as my family didn't even know that I was bisexual yet. I should probably tell them soon, Harry too. 

I shrugged, looking down at my plate. 

"Louis, be honest with me. Please." I looked up, seeing the hope in his eyes. My mind was screaming 'no!', but my heart, betraying me, forced me to say yes. I needed that security in my life, knowing that he was fully mine. I needed to know that there would always be someone on my side. 

"Yes." I said quietly. Harry rested his elbows on the countertop, his chin on his hands. His extravagant green eyes were leveled with mine, his mouth a thin line. I gulped, worried that I had said the wrong thing. "I mean, that's probably just me being stupid." I added. His brow furrowed, a small frown forming on his lips. Damnit. I looked down at my hands, Harry stepping back from the counter. The fact that he hadn't said anything yet made my stomach churn. He told me he loved me last night! I thought we were getting better at not being awkward. 

After waiting for a response for a couple minutes, I scraped my chair back, hopping down. 

"Where are you going?" Harry asked. I turned around, giving him a confused stare. 

"I need to go see my mum." I really was going to see my mum. I was finally going to tell her what was going on. She did deserve to know, after all. My sisters might be a bit confused or freaked out if I tell them as well, but I couldn't change. They would just have to live with it. 

"Can I come?" He glanced down at his feet then back at me. "I mean, I am your boyfriend." My heart leaped in my chest, a smile spreading across my face. We were boyfriends. I could kiss him and cuddle him any time I wanted. We could sleep together and go on dates and hold hands as we pleased. My excitement vanished when I remembered that management would never let us do any of that. Not in public, at least. 

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, striding over to me. "Do you not want that? God, Louis, I'm sorry."

"No! No, Harry, that's all I want." Relief flooded through him, his hand pushing through his hair. "I just remembered how we can't even go anywhere together. I can't even touch you when we are together." He bit the inside of his mouth before enveloping me in a hug. 

"Lou." He sighed. "What am I going to do with you." He placed his chin on my head, my face buried in his chest. This moment made me realize that I needed him more than I'd ever imagined. 

~

"I don't want to go in yet." I whined. Harry and I had been sitting in my mum's driveway for about ten minutes now and he was trying to get me out of the car. 

"You have to. We didn't drive three hours for you to sit in the car and complain." I shot him a dirty look then lifted my head from the steering wheel. "Besides, they know you're here. Who wouldn't notice a huge black SUV that looks exactly like their son's parked in the driveway?" 

"Shut up." I groaned. Why was he always right?

"I'm going in. You can come in whenever you'd like." He opened the door and got out, walking up the sidewalk and to the door. I saw him knock, the door immediately swinging open. Lottie answered, her face brightening when she recognized Harry. 'It's now or never', I thought. I sighed then got out of the car as well, meeting Harry at the door. 

"Are you going to let us in or not?" I asked. 

"I haven't seen you for two months and that's the greeting I get? Rude." She stepped to the side and let us in, the twins bounding into the front room. 

"Louis! Harry!" They yelled, giving each of us huge hugs. My mum walked into the room looking as if she might cry. 

"What a lovely surprise!" Harry and I gave her hugs before sitting down on the couch. 

"Where's Fizzy?" I asked. 

"Didn't I tell you? She enrolled into boarding school. She'll be gutted that she couldn't see you." Boarding school? Why the hell would she do that? 

"Oh." 

"What brings you two here?" Lottie sat down across the room, phone in hand. 

"We can't just visit?" I asked. Harry nudged my knee and I huffed. "Okay, um, I have some news." 

"Eleanor is pregnant?!" Lottie yelled. Harry laughed out loud and I tried not to smile. I saw the panic on my mum's face and I shook my head. 

"No, actually, Eleanor is not pregnant." I confirmed. What a ridiculous thing to even suggest. "Um, but I really do have news." I glanced at Harry and he nodded his head slightly. I took a deep breath and Harry's hand moved to my thigh. "Harry and I are together." 

Lottie's laugh filled the room and I looked at my mum, who looked completely shocked. 

"I knew it! I told you he and Eleanor weren't real!" Lottie said to my mum. "That's great. I'm so glad it finally happened." 

"Lottie, could you please leave the room." My mum asked sharply. The smile fell from her face and she got up to go into her room. Luckily, the twins had already run off somewhere. Now that we were alone, my nerves tripled. She was going to say how disgusting I was, I could already tell.

"You're together as in dating?" She asked. 

"Yes." Harrys answered, tangling his fingers with mine. The gesture calmed me down a bit, but not as much as I needed. 

"Since when? Louis, I didn't even know that you were... were... You've always liked girls." She looked more guilty than upset. Why was she feeling guilty about all of this? 

"We've been together for a while now. We just confirmed the relationship today, though." I said. She nodded and a tear fell from her eye. "I still like girls, too, by the way." I added. 

"I wish I had known. I'm sorry I didn't catch on." Another tear fell and I pulled her in for a hug. I figured that she'd be kicking me out of the house by this point. Instead, she was blaming herself for some unknown reason. 

"It's alright, mum. You've done nothing wrong." I rubbed her back while Harry sat at the end of the couch, most likely extremely uncomfortable. 

"I'm so happy for you, Louis. I'm so glad that you've found someone who makes you happy." I pulled away, seeing her tear streaked face. 

"God, he makes me so happy." I said, grabbing his hand again. He looked at me with love in his eyes, a small smirk on his lips. 

"Have you told Anne yet?" She asked. I shook my head and Harry's features hardened. "I'm sure she'll be just as excited, Harry. Don't worry about telling her." Could she read minds? Even I was stressing out about telling Anne and Robin and they weren't even my parents. Harry was known as a bit of a player so I wondered if his parents had ever suspected him of liking guys. Probably not, if I had to guess. 

"We're doing that tomorrow." Harry said, surprising me. Did he really want to do it that soon? 

"That's wonderful. Thank you for telling me, boys. I'm so proud of you"

"And about Eleanor, well, management hired her." I said quickly, not wanting my mum to think that I was cheating.

"What?" She asked in disbelief. I proceeded to tell her the entire story about our visit to Magee's office, leaving out very few details. By the end of the story, she looked angry. "That man is the disgusting one here. He should be ashamed. Bloody asshole, he is. No one can choose who they fall in love with! Who does he think he is?" I was thankful that she hated him as well. His wife was probably the only person who could stand him, unless she was a gold digger. 

"But it's okay because we can still live with each other." Harry said happily. "No one has to know what goes on behind closed doors. Nothing can come between us." I leaned my head onto his chest and smiled. I was glad someone in this relationship was optimistic. 

"Love is such a beautiful thing." My mum said, standing up. 

"Yes it is." Harry agreed. "It definitely is."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Louis' P.O.V.

We had come out to our families last week, both supporting us entirely. Harry's mum knew it all along, of course. I still think Gemma told her before we got to her, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it now. 

I was sat at the kitchen counter on my laptop while Harry was tucked away in his room. Now that we were actually dating, we were acting normally again. The atmosphere between us hadn't changed from when we were friends, only the actions had. We hadn't actually done many sexual things yet, but there was definitely sexual tension. I was growing more and more antsy every day. Harry most likely wasn't ready for anything like that, though, so I refrained from mentioning it. 

"Lou?" I jumped when I heard Harry's voice, snapping me out of my trance. He stood behind me and kicked the stool. 

"Yeah?" I turned around to face him. He looked tired, making him even more adorable than he already was. 

"Come lay with me?" He sounded so small and vulnerable that I couldn't say no. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon, what else was there to do?

"Sure." I hopped down from the stool and Harry led me back to his room. It had been a few days since I'd been in his room, considering we always slept in mine. Harry told me that 'my bed was much comfier than his', so that's where we've stayed. 

He crawled back under the covers and held his arms out, waiting for me to join him. I laid down on the mattress, snuggling into Harry. His smell intoxicated me, making me want more. I pressed myself as far into Harry as my body would allow, the simple cuddling not being good enough. 

"Eager to snuggle?" Harry laughed. Eager to fuck you, I thought.

"Oh shut up." I shut my eyes and listened to his heartbeat, a calming feeling washing over me. I felt so safe when I was with Harry, like nothing could hurt me. I silently thanked the heavens that he was wearing a shirt, otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to control myself. The things I'd do to him if he'd let me...

"What's got you so worked up?" Harry said, half-smiling. 

"Nothing." 

"Sure doesn't seem that way." His voice was raspy and was only making things worse. 

"Can we talk about something else." I begged. Harry narrowed his eyes at me and huffed. 

"How's Eleanor?"

"Harry." I sighed. "You're such a twat."

"What? Is it bad that I care about your girlfriend's well-being?" I shook my head and laughed. 

"You know, I've never pinned you as the jealous type, but you're really making me wonder..."

"I'm not jealous at all. Why would I be jealous? My boyfriend has to kiss his girlfriend and show her off to the world. Why the hell would I be jealous?" His face was blank, no emotion detectable. 

"How many times do I need to tell you that I feel nothing toward Eleanor? If I do recall, I was forced to be in a relationship with her, not you." I moved my hand to his backside and looked up at him. "Besides, her ass isn't nearly as wonderful as yours." 

"How do you know that?" Harry squeaked. 

"Stop whining and let me kiss you." Before he could protest, I crashed my lips onto his, the fire in my stomach igniting once more. The flame that flickered within me when I was with Harry was indescribable. He was the only person who could make me feel things so deep, which scared the hell out of me. 

I rolled on top of him, my hands propping me up on his chest. He bent his knees so I was laying between them, his shirt riding up from my movement. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, earning a throaty groan from him. My hand slid under his shirt, desperate for more contact. I traced his abs while he wrapped his fingers in my hair, making pleasure shoot through me. I couldn't get enough of him if I tried. I broke away from him, gasping for air. 

"Let me do something for you." Harry growled. I nodded, knowing that there was nothing more I wanted from him. He flipped us over so he was on top before quickly undoing my jeans. They hit the floor and his hand immediately went where it was most needed. My hips bucked into his touch, craving more. "You're so horny today, Lou." Harry teased. His words nearly sent me over the edge. I couldn't even fathom what his hands could do. He leaned down to my ear and licked his lips. "I'm going to wrap my lips around you and taste you, love." He whispered. 

"God, Harry." I breathed. I needed him more than anything and his teasing was making everything worse. "Please just do it already." He smiled then lifted my shirt off of me, planting kisses down my torso. His mouth stopped at the waistband of my boxers and he looked up at me. "Fuck, please." I groaned. My erection was becoming painful at this point. 

His fingers dipped into my boxers, tugging them down and tossing them to the floor. "You're so big." Harry said under his breath before grabbing ahold of me. My breath hitched in my throat as he teasingly moved his hand up and down, looking perfectly innocent as he did so. "I don't know what I'm doing." He said. 

"I don't care. Please just do something." He nodded and lowered his head my stomach fluttering at what was to come. I felt his lips on me and I almost came then and there. He took me halfway, taking the rest with his hand. His tongue lapped aound me, sending chills up my spine. I tangled my fingers in his curls, gripping onto them as my muscles contracted with pleasure. He gently squeezed my length before swiping his tongue over my tip.

"Harry." I moaned. He hollowed his cheeks and that familiar feeling arose in the pit of my stomach. One more swipe of his tongue sent me spiraling out of control, my breathing becoming rapid and my orgasm taking over. My body shuddered with pleasure as my vision went white. I released into his mouth as I moaned Harry's name over and over again. He had left me breathless on numerous occasions, but this was by far the worst yet. 

His mouth popped off of me and I felt him lay on top of me. "I'm in love with you, Louis. So fucking in love with you." He ran his fingers through my hair as I regained my composure. 

"That was the quickest orgasm I've ever had." I admitted. 

"I do have that effect on people. don't I?" He grinned. Typical cheeky Harry. 

"Yeah, you do." I placed my arms around him, bringing his body closer to mine. 

"What do you want to do this evening?"

"Let's go on a date." 

"We can't." He frowned. 

"We can if it's in our own house." I smiled. A date with Harry tonight seemed perfect. I did wish we could do something fun, though. 

"That's no fun. I'm taking you out. Fuck management." He sat up and got off of me, picking up his phone. "We're going to play laser tag." 

"Seriously?" I sat up as well, covering my lower half with the comforter. 

"Would I ever lie to you?" He typed a number into his phone and put it to his ear, someone immediately picking up. He made reservations for the two of us and we had to be there in an hour. "Go get pretty, Louis. We have a hot date planned." 

"You're taking the blame for this one." I muttered, standing up and grabbing my clothes from the floor. 

"Nice ass." He commented as I walked past him. 

"You can have it whenever you'd like." I replied, walking into my room. Before I could see his reaction, I shut the door and walked to my dresser, pulling out black boxers and a white Vans t-shirt. After putting them on, I pulled on a pair of black jeans and my black Vans then went to find Harry. 

"You look flawless." I heard him say from behind me. I spun around to find him leaning in the doorway to his bedroom, a small smile on his lips. He was wearing a red plaid button up and his black sinny jeans with those damn brown boots. His shirt was only halfway buttoned, my mouth practically hanging open from the exposed skin. "You know, Louis. It is rather rude to stare. I would much rather be touched than stared at." I scoffed and walked over to him, poking his bare chest. 

"You're going to drive me insane." I said, shaking my head. "Absolutely mental." 

"In a good way, I hope?" He grinned cheesily. His hands found my hips and he pulled me against him, his chin resting on the top of my head. "You always smell really good. How do you do that?" 

"It's a gift." I mumbled against his chest. His bare skin right in front of my face was causing me to physically ache from attraction. How could a boy be so fucking beautiful? It completely blew my mind.

"I don't think I've ever told you this, but the first day you started dressing like a punk I actually had to relieve myself in the bathroom. That was in the beginning of the tour, am I correct? Way back in February?" I snorted into his chest and pulled back, seeing a small smile on his lips. 

"You've been attracted to me that long? Oh my god! Harry Styles thought I was cute!" I squealed. 

"Louis, you have no fucking idea how many nights I've craved you. Those days that you ignored me were hell. I would go to bed at night wondering why on earth you were ignoring me, playing back every possible scenario that could've caused your hatred toward me. I'm going to say this once and I refuse to ever repeat it, but in all honesty, I have wanked to the thought of you before." I stared at him before bursting out in laughter. 

"You're filthy." I chortled. "However," I became serious. "I am flattered. The fact that you've touched your dick while thinking of me really makes me swoon." He shoved me back playfully and laughed. 

"I'm never going to live that down." He sighed. 

"It's okay. I'm just as guilty as you are. Fancying your best friend for a year can seriously damage your sex life. I honestly haven't gotten laid since I realized how much I love you. A year, Harry. This dick hasn't seen intercourse for a year." 

"That sounds horrible. I am very sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, I dealt with my feelings the exact opposite way. I've slept with so many girls since I accepted my feelings for you that I've lost count." I had always wondered why he found sleeping with so many people enjoyable, but now it made a lot more sense. He was trying to fill the gaping hole in his heart just like I had been. 

"Well, now that doesn't matter because you're my boyfriend and you can fuck me whenever you want." I stood on my tiptoes so my mouth was level with his ear and smirked. "And I mean whenever." I whispered. I heard his breath catch in his throat and he swallowed. 

"I think we should go. They wouldn't mind us being early, right?" He removed his hands from my waist and brushed past me to get his keys. I laughed to myself, knowing that I had definitely pushed his buttons to the furthest degree. I followed him, our exit being completely silent. Harry fumbled with the keys as we reached the car, eventually unlocking the door. "Did I fluster you? I didn't mean to." I said, shutting the door. 

"I swear to god, Louis." Harry said under his breath. "I have to make it through this date without kissing you, so please stop with the sexual talk. Unless you want to carry me out of that place on a stretcher, it would benefit both of us if you toned it down." I smiled, satisfied with myself. Seeing Harry so scatter-brained over the talk of us having sex really amused me. 

"I can't wait to suck you off later." I said a few minutes into the drive. Harry slammed on the brakes and I laughed out loud. 

"You're going to get both of us killed. My dick is already aching from the fucking thought of your mouth." He muttered. 

"I'm only trying to get you wound up enough so you'll have a hard on when we get out of the car. Public humiliation is actually quite entertaining." 

"What do I even see in you?" He asked. 

"You think I'm hot." I shrugged. He rolled his eyes and focused on the road. 

"You know, I really do think I'm going to absolutely crush your ass at laser tag." He teased. 

"Considering the amount of things you've actually beat me at, that's a huge load of shit. Everyone knows that I am far more agile and athletic than you." 

"That may be true, but I feel like tonight is my night. You should just call the game loser tag." I groaned at his horrible joke and leaned my head against the window. 

"Niall doesn't even laugh at your jokes, Harry." 

"I know. They're a bit flat." 

"You don't say?" I said sarcastically. 

"Your sarcasm hurts my feelings." Harry said, pretending to be hurt. I rested my hand on his knee and looked at his lips. 

"I'm sorry, love. You know that I love you." He looked down at me, his brow furrowed as he juggled concentrating on the road while also looking back at me. 

"You're taunting me." He warned. We pulled into the parking lot and I pulled back not wanting anyone to see our close encounter. Harry found a parking spot and we sat in the car for a minute, almost scared to leave. "If someone sees us, we're fucked."

"Absolutely." I agreed.

"But that's what makes this so fun. The threat of being caught makes it secretive."

"No kissing, touching, or any sexual innuendos." I recited Magee's rules for us being in public together.

"Unless it's in the bathroom." Harry grinned. 

"This date is going to be the most interesting date I've ever been on." 

"Does it beat a date with Eleanor?" 

"Anything beats a date with Eleanor." I laughed. 

"I love you." Harry said, suddenly becoming serious. 

"I love you." I repeated. 

I had no idea what was to come. This date could either strengthen our relationship or ruin it entirely. I was just hoping it wouldn't be the latter.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Louis' P.O.V.

"Last round." I said to Harry, out of breath from laughing so much. We had been playing in this damn laser tag arena for two hours and hadn't stopped for a break once. 

"Fine. I'm going to kick your ass. Again." I snorted and took off running down the course. Harry had beat me two out of six games and was not going to let it go. 

I weaved through the different obstacles, dodging other people along the way. Harry and I were playing one-on-one but there were still other people roaming around as well. No one had recognized us yet and we were more than thankful for that. I had a feeling that this was sort of the calm-before-the-storm type thing, but I wasn't going to dwell on it too much. 

I crouched beneath a staircase, a shadow keeping me hidden. I figured the best strategy at this point was to make Harry come to me. After a few minutes, I noticed a familiar pair of brown boots making their way toward me. Harry's eyes were set in front of him so I was definitely in the clear. With one tap of my finger, I had won the game. Harry looked down at the vest covering his chest, confused. "I win." I said, startling him. 

"Hey... You're a cheater." Harry pouted, towering over my crouched body. 

"No, I just have better game plans than you." I fought back. He stooped down so our eyes were level and a sly grin spread across his face. 

"Do you now?" He asked. 

"Where are you going with this..." I asked cautiously. I knew he was up to something and the idea both thrilled and terrified me. 

"What's the penalty for the loser?" He was slowly inching closer to my face and I was panicking over the fact that someone could see us. "If it's the same as when we play extreme hide and seek, I will gladly take this loss." He closed the gap between us, his lips molding against mine. He was kneeling in front of me, his hands on either side of my thighs. I knew this was not supposed to be happening in public, but I was too intoxicated by Harry to care. I heard footsteps coming near us and I pushed him away and stood up. Thank god we broke apart because the footsteps belonged to a couple teenage girls who clearly recognized me. 

"Oh my god." One of them said lowly. Harry stayed put, trying to go unnoticed. I stepped in front of him and luckily, the way the course was laid out, the shadows really did hide him well. 

The girls came up to me and giddily asked for a picture or two. "Who are you here with?" One of the girls asked. I almost said Harry from instinct, but felt his boot collide with the back of my foot as a warning. 

"Uh, Eleanor." I lied. 

"Where is she?" The third girl asked. I felt my palms start to sweat as they eyed me suspiciously. They knew Harry was behind me, they had to. He was shoved under the stairs but they had to have seen him. 

"Not sure, really. That's the thrill of the game, right?" I gave them a nervous smile and they nodded. 

"Yeah, I guess. We need to run because we don't want to lose this round. Tell Harry he's horrible at hiding." My stomach dropped as the girls walked away and I knew we'd been caught. 

"Fuck." Harry said, crawling out form under the stairs. "I think we've been caught." He brushed off his legs and I scoffed. 

"We're screwed. So utterly and miserably screwed." 

"We should probably go home now, yeah?" Harry said, walking ahead of me. 

"I guess." The date hadn't been a total bust. We had fun the whole time, but the ending kind of put a damper on everything. We turned in our guns and vests before returning home.

"You don't think Modest will find out, do you?" I asked as we exited the building. 

"To be completely honest, yes, I do think they'll find out. Those girls will probably tweet about it then management will find out and we can expect a call by the end of the day." I got into the car and shut the door, leaning my head back on the seat. "But cheer up, buttercup. I still had a really great time and I know that you did too." He rested his hand on my thigh and drove out of the lot. 

"Want to get dinner?" I asked a couple minutes later, breaking the silence. 

"What do we have to lose?" Harry grinned. He changed routes to go to a small cafe on the east end of town. "Nick and I used to come here a lot. Have you ever been here?" We walked up to the door, the building looking worn yet very appealing. There was a patio to the side and ivy covering a brick wall. 

"I'm afraid I haven't. Sorry." A bell jingled when we stepped in, a couple heads turning to look at who had arrived. There were maybe twelve people in the room and almost all of them were too old to know who we were. 

"They have the best cappuccinos ever." We walked up to the counter and a very pretty barista greeted us. "We'll have a cappuccino, a turkey melt sandwich, and ..." Harry looked at me and I stepped up. 

"The same." Harry paid and we received our drinks before walking to a table in the back of the room. "You're a really good boyfriend." I mumbled after taking a sip of the most delicious cappuccino I'd ever had the pleasure of drinking. 

"You think so?" Harry looked up at me, his goddamn eyes twinkling with perfection. "Because I think I've been a terrible boyfriend so far." He looked down at his mug and frowned. 

"Why do you say that?" He just shrugged and took another sip. 

"I don't know. I feel like I bore you. You're always up for an adventure of some sort and I can never give you that." Was he serious? Some of my fondest memories were made with this boy sitting in front of me and he thinks he's boring? If anything, he's brought even more excitement into my life. 

"You make me a better person, Harry." I said softly. "And you're nowhere near boring. I could sit here for hours and listen to you ramble on about a dumb stray dog you're worried about, or that fan who you couldn't get a picture with. Every last bit of you fascinates me and I couldn't ask for anyone more perfect." My brain high fived me for replying so well, but another part of me was laughing at my sappiness. Harry could make my sarcastic and bitter side disappear in seconds. It was silent for a few seconds, the two of us unsure of what to do next. 

"I'm really glad I met you, Lou." Harry whispered. "I think I've always loved you, deep down. I just didn't know it." I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. All of this time? It took him three years to tell me? I guess I wasn't one to judge considering it had taken me a year to make a move and I had only done it because I was completely smashed. "All of those times on the X Factor when you pretended to have a crush on me, they stirred something inside of me. I didn't know what the feeling was then, but now I do. That one time you almost kissed me during the video diaries- god, Louis. I can still remember the way my heart raced. Of course, I had no fucking idea what was happening, but it all makes so much more sense now. I loved you. I still love you. Every last bit of you." I was speechless. Once again, Harry had left me speechless. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. I must have been silent for too long because Harry looked a bit panicked. "I'm sorry. That was probably a lot to dump on you in one sitting." 

"I think this whole thing was fate." I said surprising both myself and Harry. "We went to the same gig that one time. We met before we were even put in a band together. We saw each other dozens of times after that, then we were miraculously thrown into this band. Don't you think that's a bit, I don't know, strange?" This was the deepest conversation I'd ever had with Harry- hell, anyone for that matter. I wasn't sure what had caused it, but I didn't want it to end. I loved knowing how Harry felt about things. It made me feel so much closer to him and I craved that. 

"Fate is pretty cool." He said with a goofy grin. "Sounds like a good guy to get a drink with."

"You're so fucking weird." I laughed. 

"I know." 

~

"You know, kissing increases your life span." Harry said randomly from across the couch. We had gotten home from our date about an hour ago and we had been silently sitting on the couch watching a movie. It took a while but we finally agreed on watching "Silver Linings Playbook".

"Don't you dare." Harry gave me a stupid smile before slowly scooting over to me. "Harry." I warned. I just wanted to watch the damn movie. 

"Louis." He mimicked my tone. I felt his thigh touch mine and he laughed. 

"If you don't get away from me I'm calling the police." He put his hand on my leg and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Not right now!" I said, busting out a laugh. I loved Harry's affection, but the timing wasn't right. I felt like something bad was about to happen and it was worrying the hell out of me.

"I thought you would be more fun as a boyfriend than a best friend, but man was I wrong." He scooted back to the other end of the couch and glared at me like a child. He was quite amusing when he acted like this, not to mention irresistibly adorable. But before we sat down I had promised myself that I would make it through the entire movie without hooking up with Harry. We had twenty minutes left and I could tell Harry was bored. 

"Hey, I'm fun!" I defended. "Who just spent two hours playing laser tag with you? That's right, me."

"That was a very nice two hours, by the way. I know what else we could do for two hours, though." He smirked and my stomach flipped. Sexual things, sexual things, sexual things, my mind screamed. 

"And what's that?" I began tapping my foot on the ground and Harry laughed. 

"I was going to say bake some things but I feel like you had something else in mind." My face flushed and I laughed nervously. Harry wasn't ready to do anything like that and I knew that. He stopped at blow jobs and I wanted to move onto kinky shit already. For some reason I didn't think I would make it another week without fucking him senseless. 

"No, baking is fine." If I can lick the frosting off of you. 

"Right now?"

"Well, the movie is almost over-"

"Okay, right now." He pushed himself off of the couch and walked into the kitchen, leaving me with my mouth agape and a filthy mind. He had to know that I already wanted to go further in bed. I didn't want to push him but then again... No. I was going to wait until he was ready even if it killed me. The thought of hurting him like that made me nauseous. 

I stopped the movie then joined Harry who was rummaging through the cabinets. "What are we making?" I asked, sitting on the countertop. He looked so domestic getting out all of our baking supplies and it really wasn't helping with the sexual tension between us. I began picturing him sucking me off with frosting and didn't realize what I was doing until he poked my cheek. "What?" 

"You sort of zoned out for a minute. We're making a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and chocolate everything." I nodded and stared at the ground. The mixture of worry and horny-ness was making me a mess. "What's wrong?" Harry stood between my legs and frowned. 

"Nothing." I didn't sound convincing at all. Harry raised an eyebrow and I sighed. Damn him for knowing everything about me. "I'm just worrying. I'm fine." I looked at the wall to avoid his eyes and he placed his hands on my knees. 

"About what?"

"I don't know... Us. This whole thing." My voice cracked with embarrssment and I saw Harry smile out of the corner of my eye. How was he always so positive? That was the thing I envied most about him. 

"We're going to be fine, Lou. I promise. Management can fuck off because we have a cake to make and nothing is going to interrupt that. Come off of the counter and actually look at me so we can get started." He put his hands on the small of my back and slowly guided me off of the counter. "I love you."

"I love you, Harry." I said quietly. We stood there for a couple minutes in silence, simply enjoying the moment. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when the house phone rang. I looked at Harry and gulped. That could only be one person. 

Harry Magee.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Louis' P.O.V.

"You answer it." I begged.

"No way. He likes you more than he likes me!" Harry shot back. We were seriously fighting over who would pick up the phone.

"Pick it up before it goes to voicemail! He hates both of us!"

"No!" Harry crossed his arms and glared at me.

It was on the fourth ring so I groaned and answered the call. "Hello?" I tried to sound as confident as possible. I don't think it worked out.

"Louis? This is Harry Magee." I let out a breath and nodded to my Harry.

"Hello, sir." I scrunched up my face at the authority I gave him. He was basically satan and I was actually treating him with respect? Work sucked sometimes.

"I want this to be short and to the point. I've seen so many things on Twitter about you and Harry being on a date tonight. Is that true?" I had half a mind to lie and tell him we stayed in all night, but I knew that would just get us into deeper trouble.

"Yeah, it is."

"What was it I told you? No public displays of affection? No going out together? Did you mishear me, Mr. Tomlinson? I thought I had made it perfectly clear that you and Mr. Styles were to remain behind closed doors at all times. I told you that there would be consequences!" He was nearly shouting by the time he finished speaking and Harry had his arms around me. A tear threatened to fall down my cheek as I spoke.

"Mr. Magee, I'm sorry that you are unable to accept our relationship. Love is love and it completely blows my mind how some people don't understand that. I know it could possibly cause us to lose fans if anyone ever found out, but the way you treat us is uncalled for. You should be ashamed of yourself! You're a fucking lunatic if you think what Harry and I have is disgusting! You and your wife would hate if someone was constantly telling you how disgusting your relationship was, wouldn't you? It is the exact same thing!" I handed the phone to Harry so Magee wouldn't hear me crying. God, I was such a baby. I couldn't even stand up to my boss without sobbing.

"He's just upset." Pause. "I know." Another pause. " Okay. Thank you." Harry hung up the phone and turned to me with a sullen face. "Lou..."

"What did he say? He isn't doing anything, is he?" I asked frantically.

"He was livid." I had a bad feeling about what was coming next. "I'm not sure if he was just pissed about your outburst or if he was serious, but Louis, he said you have to move in with Eleanor." I dropped my head and a tear rolled off of the tip of my nose. "Not until next Saturday, though. We still have a week together."

I shook my head and turned around to go into my room. I should've known Harry and I would never work. It was too good to be true. Stupid, stupid me. Slamming the door behind me, I walked into my room and laid face-first on the bed. Being in this band was stupid. Being watched by management was stupid. Publicity was stupid. Everything was stupid. But most importantly, I was stupid. That date never should have happened because we knew what the consequences would be. If those fucking girls hadn't told everyone we would've been fine!

I laid there for a couple minutes with my thoughts nearly making me go deaf. My door clicked open and a couple seconds later I felt the mattress dip beside me. "I hate him." Harry said, rubbing my back. "He's an asshole."

"Calling him names isn't going to fix anything." I said into the mattress.

"Maybe not, but it sure as hell makes me feel better." There was a brief silence until Harry spoke again. "You know I'll always love you, Lou. He can move us across the world from each other and you will still be the only person I have ever and will ever love." I lifted my head from the bed to look at a smiling Harry.

"You're such a sap." I laughed, sniffling a bit. To be honest, I loved the way Harry spoke to me. He was a lot rougher with the other boys than he was with me. It had always been that way and I was just now realizing it. How had I been so blind before?

"I know. I'm just trying to make you feel better. Seeing you cry hurts me a lot." I repositioned myself so my head was in his lap and he began to run his fingers through my hair. "I know Eleanor is on our side so she'll do whatever she can to help us, okay?"

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I just spoke to her. She said she's willing to sneak me in if you want." He grinned. "But she also said to keep the noise level down because she doesn't want to hear us fucking in the next room."

"Oh my god." I groaned. "What else did she say?"

"I only spoke to her for like two minutes. Just covered the basics. All that I know is she wants to help as much as possible. Magee really could've picked a worse person to be your girlfriend, you know. You can't hate the man too much." I laughed at Harry's ridiculous comment.

"I think I have the right to hate him as much as I please. After all, the man is separating me from my boyfriend because he doesn't like our relationship. He's a fucking prick."

"You have a good point." Harry smiled down at me, admiration in his eyes. "You're so beautiful." He said softly. "I don't think I tell you that as much as I should." A warmth spread over me but I tried to contain my overflowing love for this perfect boy who was holding me.

"Guys can't be beautiful." I joked.

"Yes they can. You're living proof." He kissed my forehead then moved to my lips. His hand was resting on my stomach as his thumb rubbed back and forth. The kiss was sweet and not too short. It was perfect for the moment, which was expected because god forbid Harry ever do something that isn't perfect. "I'm so in love with you." He mumbled into my lips. "So fucking in love." He kissed me again and used the tips of his fingers to trace the thin strip of exposed skin above my waistband.

"I never want to stop touching you." The words left my mouth before I could even think about what I was saying. Harry pulled away from my lips and the corners of his mouth just barely tugged up into a smile. "I mean..." I could feel my face burning and Harry's grin widened.

"You can touch me whenever and wherever you want, Lou. I mean it." He said the last part seductively and I could already feel the groin of my pants tightening.

"Can I... Now?" I asked nervously. He just shook his head and laughed.

"Only because your dick is getting really hard and it's turning me on too." He looked at my crotch and my face reddened even more. We had done this before so why was it so embarrassing? I watched as his hand moved to my zipper, then the button of my pants.

"Harry-"

"I'm not letting you undress me if you're fully-clothed. That's not how it works." He got rid of my jeans then lifted my head off of his lap. "Sit on my lap." He instructed. Had he been fantasizing about this, too? It sure seemed like it.

I did as I was told and straddled him, leaning my chest against his so our faces were nearly touching. "Put that ass of yours to use and start rolling your hips." His voice was becoming a bit huskier and I could tell that he was turned on.

I moved my hips into Harry's lap at a slow pace, eventually finding a rhythm. His eyelids drooped a little and his lips parted as I removed his shirt. "I love these." I said, running my fingers over his hard abs. "And these." I traced a couple of his tattoos as well. Once I felt him almost completely hard under me, I gave in and took off his jeans as well. "I love when you're so hard for me."

"I love you." He groaned as I palmed his throbbing dick through his boxers. "God, you're so good at this." His eyebrows furrowed and he bit his lip, making my breath hitch in my throat. He looked so fucking good with his toned stomach, messy hair, and his stupid little face. Everything about him was making me want him even more.

"Can I take these off?" I pulled waistband of his Calvin Klein's out and he nodded quickly.

"Please." I lifted myself up a little as I slid his boxers down his thighs before competely dropping them to the floor. I respositioned myself on his lap and his hands immediately went to removed my shirt.

"You're so eager." I laughed.

"I just need to feel your skin on mine." He said quietly. A whimper left his mouth when I touched my torso to his. "Jesus."

"How do you want to come?" I asked, grinding down onto him. Harry could barely form words as I aroused him even more, making me overflow with happiness. I loved making him feel this way because it was one of the few times I felt as if I had complete control over him.

"Insi-" His eyes shot open and he cleared his throat. "Surprise me." Was he going to say inside of me? My cheeks flushed at the thought and I scooted back on his lap a little so I could grab his erection. By the look on his face I could tell that he wasn't going to last very long. Sure enough, after maybe 30 seconds of pumping my hand on him, he spilled onto our stomachs. I watched as his eyes fluttered from the sensation, his stomach muscles hardening even more. He slumped into me while muttering a series of profanities and I just stroked his hair and let him ride out his high. "You know I love you, right?" He finally said, still buried in my shoulder.

"Yeah. I do. I love you a lot too." I lifted his head up and gave him a short kiss to seal our declaration of love.

"You're really good at hand jobs. You must wank a lot." He grinned.

"Only to the thought of you." I nearly sang. I climbed off of him and he looked hurt. "What's wrong?" I asked. His eyes shifted to my boxers for a split second then focused on my face again.

"You aren't going to let me return the favor?" He pouted. I would never understand how he could go from sex god to teddy bear within a span of five minutes. It absolutely blew my mind. A smirk formed on my lips and I walked back over to him.

"Only if it involves your mouth." I said lowly. His face lit up and he yanked me onto the bed.

"Deal."

~

"Does this look okay?" I asked, tugging my jacket tighter. It was Monday afternoon and we were getting ready to arrive at the Brits. All of the boys were at our house so our stylists could work on all of us in one place. Our hair was finished so we just needed to get dressed and we were set.

"Very handsome." Harry smiled, adjusting the flower that was pinned to the collar. He was wearing a tux with a white and black patterned button-up underneath. "I'm jealous of your date to the show." His smile dropped a bit and I shrugged.

"Yeah, but guess who gets some after the after-party?" I nudged his arm and he laughed.

"Not your date!" He high fived me and Liam walked into the room. He seemed wary as he entered, but relaxed when he saw that we weren't half-naked and snogging.

"Eleanor's here." He announced. Harry snorted and I nodded.

"Thanks."

"Are you two going to be alright tonight? Like, with Eleanor and everything?" Liam asked, truly concerned about what the night had in store. God bless him and the way he cared about everything and everyone. Everyone needs someone like Liam in their life.

"We'll be fine." I assured him. "We won't be sitting by each other so I don't think anything bad will happen." We were given strict orders to not sit or stand by each other at any point in time. That kind of sucked but at least I could suck him off when we got home.

"Okay. I'm sorry they've split you two up. It's really not fair at all."

"Magee's an ass and we've decided to move past that point." Harry spat. "Fucking hate him." He added under his breath. I squeezed his hand and looked up at him.

"No need to get worked up under something we can't control, right?" I reminded him. This talk had been repeated at least four times since Magee announced that Harry and I couldn't live together anymore. One of us would get pissed and the other would say how pointless the anger was.

"Um, okay. Just checking." Liam awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and I realized how close Harry and I were. Clearing my throat, I stepped back and released Harry's hand. "I'm going to go back out there. We're leaving soon, so... yeah." He exited and Harry started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Liam doesn't know what to do around us. Remember how excited he was when we told him that we were together? Now he gets nervous around us. I wonder if the other boys will be the same way?" We hadn't seen the other boys for quite a few days and when we did, Harry and I didn't really display our affection that much.

"Just snog me when we get out there and see what they do." I suggested. Harry looked at me like I was crazy.

"The stylists don't know about us!" He said as if I was stupid.

"What a great way to let them know! Come on." I grabbed his bicep and lead him into the main room. I spotted Eleanor sitting on the couch and smiled at her. She returned the gesture with a small wave and stood up to walk over to me.

"Now?" Harry whispered. I put my hands on his cheeks and basically smooched him on the lips. He set his hands on my waist and I saw Eleanor grinning with her hand over her mouth. My hands slid down to his neck and I continued to work my lips against his.

"Uh..." Zayn said, tapping me on the shoulder. I turned around to face him and he looked embarrassed. "You two should stop making out so we can go. Don't want to be late, you know?" I knew it. The boys were uncomfortable around us. I was definitely going to confront them later and tell them that they had nothing to feel awkward about. Yeah, Harry and I were their best mates, but we loved each other and nothing was going to change anytime soon.

"Sorry." Harry smirked. "Didn't realize."

"Are you two..." Our hair stylist, Lou, narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, Louise. Yes." Harry grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I forgot to tell you. I met a really hot guy and I'm kind of in a relationship with him." He smiled down at me and I returned the favor.

"Oh... Wow." She looked surprised. "That's great. That's really, really great!" She said excitedly.

"Thank you." I said happily. "Now that that's cleared up, we have an awards' show to attend. Would my lovely girlfriend like to take my arm?" I held out my arm for Eleanor and she giggled before accepting it.

"Thank you, Louis." She said softly. Harry pouted and trailed behind us as we left the house and got into the car. "Don't pout the whole time, babe. Have a little bit of fun."

"Yeah, Harry. You're the one that gets to hook up with him after the show." Eleanor added. Niall coughed and I started laughing.

"You know you guys have nothing to feel uncomfortable about?" I looked at the boys and they looked guilty. Liam opened his mouth but quickly shut it.

"I'm serious. Please don't start acting differently around Harry and I. We're the same people we were before." Harry pursed his lips at me and looked at his feet.

"It's just weird that you're together. I don't know. I just don't think we know how to react when you're all over each other. We're used to taking it as a joke and laughing, but now it's just awkward." Zayn spoke up. I was a little hurt, but the feeling was quickly replaced with humor. The boys looked at Harry and I like they had committed a crime and Harry and I just burst into a fit of laughter.

"We'll stop snogging around you then. That's all you needed to say!" Harry chuckled. "It's not like we're fucking in front of you." I snorted and the boys looked horrified. Eleanor was on mine and Harry's side, trying to contain her laughter.

"End of discussion." Niall said under his breath.

"Glad we've settlled that." I said, throwing my arm around Eleanor. A couples minutes of silence passed and I looked back and forth between Harry and Eleanor. "I feel like a pimp." I laughed. This broke the ice and we soon jumped into a light-hearted conversation.

I always liked going to awards' shows but I felt like this year's Brits would be a lot different. I was just waiting for something to go wrong.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Louis' P.O.V.

"Harry! Harry!" Paps yelled at us as we arrived at the Brits, cameras flashing everywhere we looked. I grasped Eleanor's wrist as we cheesed it up for the cameras, definitely putting on a damn good show. The other boys weren't allowed to bring their girlfriends for some reason that was unknown to me. Of course Eleanor was allowed to come though. Of course. 

Zayn whispered something to Liam as we stood in a line to be photographed. I saw Liam's brow furrow and his eyes avert to Harry before returning to Zayn. He nodded then acted like nothing had happened. What? Was Harry okay? I subtly glanced in his direction and found that he was already staring at me. A small smile formed on his lips before he once again faced forward, leaving me confused and with butterflies in my stomach. I am a grown man and I should not have 'butterflies' in my stomach, but Harry fucking Styles never plays by the rules of life apparently. His gene pool is a prime example of that. 

"Is it true that Eleanor's pregnant?" He heard a pap shout. It took everything in him not to laugh at the ridiculous assumption. Who even comes up with this nonsense? 

"Alright boys let's move." Niall said, ushering us ahead so the next 'big thing' could strut down this damn carpet. I placed my my hand on the small of Eleanor's back and gave a synthetic smile before we finally entered the building. 

"Now what?" Eleanor asked nervously. I had forgotten that she hadn't actually been anywhere like this before and I immediately felt culpable. She was probably scared shitless. 

"We're going to our table." I replied, moving my hand to hers and giving it a squeeze to remind her of my presence. The last thing I wanted was for her to be uncomfortable. Sure she wasn't my actual girlfriend, but I still cared about her as a friend. 

"I think it's this way." Zayn said, pointing to our left. There were so many people in the room it was hard to tell which way was which. Poor Niall was probably on the verge of a breakdown. Sure enough, he looked behind him and Harry was settling him down. We needed to get out of here. 

"Zayn, mate. We need to find it soon. Niall's frenetic." I said, tapping his shoulder. 

"It's this door over here, I swear!" He said, leading us to a crowded doorway. I could see the elaborate and totally over-the-top stage and ballroom through the seemingly tiny doorway, tugging on Niall to follow us. "Table 37." He announced, the six of us standing there like complete twats. Our security wasn't helping us for some reason that I would later confront them about. "Shit, that's right in front of the stage! Sweet!" 

"Fantastic." I heard Harry mutter behind me. 

"Oh lighten up, Harry. Think of all the asses we can watch bounding up the steps." I gave him a sly grin and he stifled a laugh. 

"Not funny." He said, beaming. 

"I swear to god, you two." Niall huffed. "Just get married on the fucking stage tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked as we weaved our way through the sea of people, desperately in need of a place to sit. 

"That you're mushy and have some freaky telepathic way of speaking and are most likely going to die together." Eleanor laughed. Niall laughed too, nodding his head. 

"Nailed it." 

"We do not have telepathic powers, children." Harry shook his head. "We just have all of the knowledge in the world." Eleanor snorted and Niall rolled his eyes. 

"Your ego is suffocating the party-goers, Harry. I can hear an entire barrage of paramedics on their way to help these poor, innocent souls." Niall retorted. 

"Oh for god's sake, Niall. Let the boy be an ass tonight. His situation isn't the best, you know." I defended. Harry's eyes fucking sparkled with admiration and he just barely smiled. 

"Being forbidden to fuck you in public doesn't mean he can be a prick." Niall muttered. His language was notorious for being crude and completely offensive, so we never really took his 'insults' to heart. 

"We can go make out in the bathroom to prove you wrong." I offered, but he immediately declined. 

"No thank you. I believe that you'll do it and that's enough proof for me." We reached our table and I groaned with relief. My feet were killing me and I could really use some alcohol. Well, some marijuana didn't sound bad, but that was for later. 

I pulled out the chair for Eleanor and received a quiet thank you before plopping down between her and Zayn. Harry was directly across the table from me, which was a very bad idea. I averted my attention to Eleanor, who was silently staring at the tablecloth. "You okay?" I asked, nudging her. 

"Yeah. Just a bit overwhelmed is all." She gave me a weak smile and I pursed my lips. 

"I'm sorry I've been kind of an arse. I keep forgetting that you haven't been to anything like this before." 

"Don't blame yourself for everything, Louis. I'm just not... a people person." She shrugged. Something was wrong and I knew it, but I didn't want to question her any further. So, naturally, I dropped the subject and turned to Zayn. 

"Want to get baked later?" I whispered. A smirk formed on his lips and he nodded. 

"Of course. Yours or mine?" Harry would have a fit if he found out that I started smoking pot. He knew Zayn did it and he absolutely despised it. Because of this, I assumed that Zayn's place would be a much better location. 

"Yours. Harry will literally murder me if he finds out." I'd been doing it with Zayn for a month or so and it was seriously like heaven descending upon me. I can basically feel the stress rolling out of me with every puff. 

"Sounds fantastic. How are you going to sneak away from Harry?" My stomach churned when I remembered our promise. I was supposed to go back and snog the shit out of him, maybe even throw in a hand job or two. Now that the idea of getting high was set in my mind, everything else seemed like a shit plan. I was a terrible boyfriend. 

"Fuck." I mumbled. "Get him drunk enough and he'll forget our plans." I was really grateful for the huge table we were sitting at because Harry couldn't hear a word we were saying. I looked over at Eleanor and saw her chatting up Niall. 

"You already have plans? Mate, don't drop him for me. He's your boyfriend for Christ's sake." I thought I heard a hint of disgust in Zayn's voice but I brushed it off. 

"Zayn, I don't think you understand. I need this fucking weed. There's too much in my head right now." I wanted all of the stress from work to fly out of me, but I also wanted the urge for sex to take a breather for a few hours. If I couldn't fuck Harry I needed something else to pour myself into. 

"Work?" He asked. I nodded and he sighed. 

"This probably isn't a good time or place to be discussing this, but I'm so fucking ready, Zayn." His eyes narrowed a bit in confusion so I continued. "But Harry's not." The gears started turning in his head and he quickly pieced it together, his face twisting in fake disgust. 

"Um, well, I don't really know what to say, mate. I know you well enough to know that you don't want to pressure him into it. If it's seriously all you can think about then ask him about it. Has he actually told you that he's not ready?" Now that I thought about it, Harry never really had told me that he didn't want to have sex. He just sort of implied it. 

"No, I-I don't think he has." 

"Just ask him then. Or, if you're doing whatever the hell you do in bed and it starts to go further, don't stop and see his reaction. If he proceeds, then accept it and fuck the shit out of him. Or let him fuck the shit out of you. I don't want to know who plays what role or whatever, honestly." He laughed. "That's your own fucking business." 

"Can I just go to your place tonight?" I sighed. "I'll deal with Harry later." 

"Don't come crying to me when he's pissed. I'd imagine he doesn't like being replaced by a plant."

"Shut up."

"What have you two been whispering about this entire time?" Liam asked. Our heads shot up and a guilty smile made its way onto my face.

"Nothing that matters, really. Just a bunch of nonsense." I looked at Harry and he gave me a weak smile. 

"Yeah, okay." Liam was unconvinced but he dropped it. 

"I'm going to use the restroom, okay?" Eleanor said, lightly tapping my arm. 

"Do you want me to go with you? I mean, like, so you don't get lost or anything." Her jaw tightened a bit and after a few seconds she nodded. She looked like she wanted to go alone but she probably knew better than to ever do so. 

"We'll be right back." I said, standing up. 

"We'll be right here." Niall said, laughing at his own joke. Harry looked at me with hooded eyes, making me a bit uneasy. What did he think we were going to do?

"You're not as funny as you think you are, Ni." Liam said, cracking a smile. I placed my hand on Eleanor's back and began leading her to the restrooms. Luckily, there was a huge ass sign leading us there, so the trip was short and uneventful. 

"I'll just wait here." I said awkwardly. 

"Thank you." She smiled before disappearing into the lavatory. I rocked back and forth on my feet for several minutes before I started to worry. What the fuck was she doing in there? Maybe there was a line. I decided to go with that so my nerves would die down a little. Finally, after another ten minutes had passed, she popped out of the door and took my hand without saying a word. Something's not right. The thought bounced around in my mind as we silently walked back to the table. 

It was only when a light flashed on her face that I saw her cheek glistening. 

Fuck. 

She had been crying. I immediately stopped walking and turned her around to face me. "Eleanor?" I asked softly. Her head was drooped slightly so she wouldn't make eye contact with me. "Babe, please look at me." The pet name felt awful running off of my tongue. I only called Harry babe. That was his name. 

She lifted her head up and her glossy eyes looked hollow. 

Fuck.

Something was most definitely wrong. "Please don't cry. Please." I begged. I hated seeing people cry and for some reason, watching her cry nearly broke my heart. 

"I'm okay." She insisted. But her voice betrayed her and cracked, her weakness basically pouring out of her. "I promise." She was anything but okay and I was not letting her go back to our table like this. 

"We need to get out of here." I breathed. "We're going to leave." 

"What? No! No, Louis. I swear I'm fine." A tear fell from her eye and I shook my head. "I swear." Her voice crackled and I thought I was going to start crying. 

"What's wrong? Did someone do something? Did I do something?"

"No, no. No one did anything. Can we please just go back to the table?" She nervously tugged on the sleeves of her tight black dress, her feet pressed together. I didn't want to make her stay if she was upset, but I had no other choice. And, like the dick I am, I decided to drop the subject for the hundredth time in one day. 

"Okay. Yeah." I lead her back to the table and she quickly regained her composure and acted as if nothing had happened. That scared the shit out of me. 

~

Harry's P.O.V.

Where the fuck were they? Louis literally ditched us for Eleanor and the show was about to start. I impatiently drummed my fingers on the table, ignoring the other boys. First he and Zayn were sharing secrets for the first ten minutes of this stupid thing and now he's running off with Eleanor. Fucking Louis. My head snapped up when I saw him pull out Eleanor's chair for her before sitting down. I glared at him but he didn't even look my way. What was with him tonight? He was allowed to look at me. 

A bright light came on and I studied Louis' face. He was overthinking something and my heart softened a little. Why was he always worrying? It made me sick to know that he was always anxious about something. I pulled out my phone to text him just as someone introduced the Arctic Monkeys, their music starting immediately. 

Fuck. 

I'd just talk to him when we got home. I remembered our promise, a smiled dancing on my lips. His worries could just be kissed away by me like always. I loved being the only thing that could take away his stress. 

I decided that I wanted this thing to be over with as quickly as possible so we could get home and I could make him forget about everything bad in life. It was going to be an okay night.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Louis' P.O.V.

Two awards and possibly ten glasses of champagne later, the show had ended and I was absolutely trashed. Eleanor had remained silent the rest of the night and it was driving me insane. What was wrong with her? I had kept my hand on her knee the entire evening to let her know I was there but I don't think it helped anything. 

"You ready to go?" Niall asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. We were at the after party and I guess it was time to clear out. 

"Yeah." I simply nodded, intertwining my fingers with Eleanor's. Niall gave me a questioning look and I shook my head. 

"Alright! Let's head out! I have a party to attend!" Niall cheered. 

"Where?" Liam asked as we made our way to the exit. Harry and Zayn were behind me, no words being exchanged between the two. 

"Rochelle rented out some place and apparently it's going to be sick! It's a costume party. Want to come?" Niall looked at all of us and I shook my head. Preston opened the door for us and we were finally outside, the fresh air hitting me like a ton of bricks. It was wonderful. 

"I have plans." I said, looking behind me. 

"I can't just drop in!" Liam said. He had had the most drinks out of the six of us and it was hilarious watching him stumble over himself. 

"'Course you can!" Niall slapped him on the back. We reached our car and piled in, my body being squeezed between Niall and Eleanor. The other three were across from us, Harry directly across from me. 

"Okay, sure!" Liam said giddily. "But I haven't got a costume."

"Throw on some eyeliner and a wig and you'll be fine." Zayn joined in. 

"You're already pretty enough to be a girl." Eleanor said, no trace of unhappiness in her voice whatsoever. How did she do that? It was almost as if she had perfected the immediate transition from despondent to cheerful. 

"Oh stop it, I'm blushing." Liam grinned. I looked up at Harry and he was staring out the window, brow furrowed. Maybe I shouldn't ditch him tonight. Everyone would have a friend but him. But then again...

I reached across the space between us and grabbed his hand, running my thumb over his knuckles. His face instantly lit up and he smiled, looking back at me. 

"I love you." I murmured. I think Eleanor was the only person who heard and I was grateful. The boys weren't too keen on our displays of affection anyway. 

"I love you more." He said quietly. I shook my head and laughed before launching myself onto his lap. I couldn't be away from him any longer. 

"I fucking loooove you." I giggled. I was so drunk and so going to regret everything in the morning. He did his classic half smile and moved his hands to my backside, my hands pressed against his chest. He was hammered too so this was equally as thrilling for him, I'm sure. 

Before I could do anything else, his lips were pressed against mine and I couldn't pull away. His kisses intoxicated me. It was different than the effects of alcohol, though. I could only focus on him and nothing else in the world mattered. The boys making digusted noises around us didn't faze me one bit. 

I pressed my chest to Harry's, wanting to be as close to him as possible. The sound of our lips smacking together filled the now silent and awkward car and I loved every second of it. I pulled back for air and rested my forehead against his, a tiny smile growing. "I love you." I breathed. 

"I love you." He repeated. 

"You two fogged up the fucking windows." Zayn groaned. "Keep it to yourself." I rolled my eyes and unwillingly moved back to my previous seat, smirking at Harry. 

"That was... different." Niall commented. 

"Really? I thought it was phenomenal." I grinned. Harry beamed and stuck his tongue out at me, pupils fully blown. He looked so hot and I was so horny and I wanted him. But then I remembered that he wasn't ready for that and I remembered how I was supposed to go to Zayn's and my smile faded. I was still going to Zayn's because I couldn't pressure this adorable side of Harry into doing something he didn't want to do while I was drunk off my ass. That wasn't right. I was going to Zayn's and I was going to lie to Harry.

"Eleanor?" I whispered. Her eyes shot up to meet mine and I continued. "Pretend that I'm going to your house. I'm actually going to Zayn's." 

"Uh... okay." She raised an eyebrow. 

"Harry can't know. I'm going to lie and say I'm going to your house."

"That's a terrible idea."

"I don't care." I turned away from her before she could respond. Within a couple minutes we were back at mine and Harry's house, all of us flooding out of the car. 

"Why are you going to Zayn's?" Eleanor asked as she pulled me aside. I looked over at Harry and he was standing there with his hands in his pockets waiting for me. 

"To smoke." I said quietly. Her nose scrunched up and she started shaking her head. 

"Do I have to drive you there?" She asked. I nodded and she groaned. "Fine. I should probably drive Zayn too considering he's intoxicated." 

"Yeah, that would be smart." I grabbed Zayn's arm as he walked past me and told him the plan. He agreed to ride with Eleanor so I moved onto Harry. 

"Hi, love." I said nervously. 

"What's wrong?" He could read me like a book. I really did think we were soulmates. Maybe that was the alcohol talking, though. 

"I'm going to Eleanor's for the night." I said quickly. I watched as his features crumbled before me, his gaze dropping to the ground. 

"W-Why?" I thought he was going to cry. If I saw one tear I was going to punch myself in the face for being a dick. 

"She wants me to help her move some shit in the morning and I thought it would be easier to just stay there, you know?" I lied. I couldn't believe I was ditching Harry but I guess drinking made me really fucking stupid. My mind was pointing at the worst possible solution to everything tonight and I knew it was going to bite me in the ass tomorrow.

"No, Louis. You're not staying." He suddenly had an edge to his voice and I knew what was coming next. "You're my boyfriend and you sleep in my bed with me. Don't you get that!?" He yelled. Everyone was staring at us and I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. 

"I'm not sleeping with her, Harry. Why would you think that?" Did he really think that I would stoop that low and actually cheat on him? Apparently trust was nonexistent tonight. Although, I was lying to him.

"Why are you going over there?" He snapped. 

"You don't fucking own me! I'll do whatever the fuck I want!" I yelled back. His eyes were dark and the world seemed to stop around us. Everyone was holding their breath, not wanting to interrupt. 

"You know what, Louis? Go! Fuck her all you want! But don't come crying to me when you remember that she doesn't love you and she's only dating you for a fucking paycheck!" He stormed away from me and went inside, leaving my head pounding. Why the fuck do I mess everything up?

"Let's go." I said, my voice hoarse. Eleanor quickly nodded and Zayn and I followed her to her car, getting in without a word. She slammed her door shut and started the car, not looking at me once. The entire ride to Zayn's was silent, no one really knowing was to say. I was too busy worrying about mine and Harry's relationship to hold a conversation anyway. It was only when Eleanor tapped my arm that I realized we were stopped in front of Zayn's place and he was already halfway to the door.

"Thank you for covering for me and everything." There was short pause before I continued. "I'm glad Magee hired you of all people. You're a really good friend." I looked up at her to find her smiling and I engulfed her in a hug. "I also want to talk to you when I'm a little less tipsy, okay?" 

"Okay." 

"Thanks for the ride." 

"Anytime." She smiled. I waved as I stepped out of the car then made my way to Zayn's door. I opened it to find an empty room. 

"Zayn?" I said loudly. I heard footsteps and looked to my right to find Perrie in the doorway. 

"He's changing into comfier clothes. What are you doing here?" She asked. 

"Um..." Did she know about Zayn's smoking? "We're going to do... things." Good one, Louis. 

"You're seriously getting high at 2am?" She laughed. "Where's Harry?" 

"We sort of fought. I told him that I was going to spend the night at Eleanor's but... here I am." I half-laughed and Perrie glared at me. 

"You're a horrible boyfriend."

"I know." 

"He thinks you're cheating on him! Do you understand that?" She scolded. I nodded and she crossed her arms. "You're lucky he loves you more than life itself. Otherwise, you'd be single by now." 

"I'm not sure if we're still together, to be honest." I said softly. 

"Well getting high will surely make you forget about tonight." She scoffed. "I'm going to bed. You had better come up with a really good apology for the poor boy." 

"Thanks." I said flatly. She shook her head and disappeared at the same time Zayn entered the room. 

"Bong or joint?" He asked, raising both in my direction. 

"Joint." I sighed. I walked over to the couch and sat down, taking the joint from his fingertips. He handed me a lighter and I gladly accepted, lighting the blunt immediately. I held it to my lips and savored the feeling that it brought, my worries leaving my body. I blew smoke onto Zayn as he did the same, looking a lot cooler than me as he did so. 

"How do you look so cool?" I asked. He laughed and shook his head. 

"I was born cool, Tommo."

"Oh." I took another puff and repeated the action numerous times until I was stress-free. The living room was smoky and smelled like weed but it was basically heaven. I looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly 4am. How long had we been doing this? "Zayn." I mumbled. He looked at me with reddened eyes, a smirk on his lips. "I'm going to crash here, okay?"

"Yeah." He stood up and rubbed his eyes. "I'm gonna go to bed, too. G'night, man."

"Night." I laid down on his sofa and fell asleep immediately, nothing on my mind at all. It was one of the best night's sleeps I'd ever experienced. 

~

"Louis." I felt someone poking me and I groaned as light filled my sight. "Louis, get up. You're fucked." 

"What?" I asked groggily, seeing Zayn hovering over me. 

"Harry called me. He went to Eleanor's this morning and you weren't there. He's coming here in like five minutes." I shot up, my head nearly colliding with Zayn's.

"What!?" I exclaimed. "No!"

"I told him you were here. He's worried sick." 

"Shit. What time is it?"

"One." My mouth fell open and I squeaked. 

"In the afternoon!? I'm so terribly fucked. Hide me." I grabbed Zayn's arm and he pulled away from me, frowning. "No way, Louis. This is your problem and you're going to deal with it yourself. I'll be in my room." He turned around and I panicked. 

"No! At least get the door when he comes. Please." I begged. He gave me a pathetic look and I pouted my lip. 

"You're such a fucking child." He mumbled, turning back to face me. "I'm leaving right when he comes in, though." 

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." I sighed. "You're the best."

"I know." He smirked. "The only reason I would stay out here is to watch you get your heart ripped out of your chest, but knowing you two, that will never happen. So, that gives me no choice other than to leave. Perrie isn't here so she won't hear a thing."

"Thank god." I muttered. A wave of fear washed over me and I could basically feel the color drain from my face. "What if he does break up with me? I can't live without him, Zayn. That would be impossible. If I weren't such a fuck up I wouldn't have to worry about this." I pushed my hair back with my hand and sighed. 

"He won't leave you. He needs you just as much as you need him, if not more."

"You think so?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah. He loves you. Too much." He chuckled. The doorbell rang and my nerves skyrocketed. I had no idea what was to come and I was terrified. 

"Zayn." I said uneasily. 

"You'll be fine." He assured. "Just don't be a dick like you always are." I rolled my eyes but my attitude was quickly replaced with fear. Zayn opened the door and in walked Harry, his brow furrowed and his eyes dark. 

"Louis fucking Tomlinson." He growled. Shit.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Louis' P.O.V.

"Hi." I said weakly. Harry stormed over to me as Zayn left the room grinning. The scowl on his face showed that he was beyond pissed off. Which, he had a right to be. I fucked up.

"You lied to me!" He said, about a foot of space now between us. His scent overpowered me and my nerves eased slightly. I just stood there and stared at him, not knowing what to say. Anything I said would be used against me so I opted to keep my mouth shut. 

Harry's chest rose and fell heavily showng that he was furious. Angry Harry turned me on a little, but this was not a good time for that. "You don't even have an explanation? You're just going to stare at me like a fucking idiot?" He snarled. Ouch. 

"I'm not an idiot you dick." I spat back. "I'm a grown man and I can do what I please without telling you every fucking thing." His jaw tensed and I could tell I was getting under his skin. I hated arguing with him but he was the one who came storming in here in the first place. I should have known that nothing good would come from skipping my night with Harry. 

"Yes, Louis, but you lied to me. I thought that you were at Eleanor's this morning but you weren't. She told me that you came here instead. Why did you feel it necessary to come here instead of spending the night with me?" His voice had lowered a bit and he almost looked sad. "Am I doing something wrong?" Leave it to Harry to blame himself for my shit actions. 

"Is it really such a big deal that you had to hunt me down? I'm not your property, Harry." I watched as his jaw tensed in frustration. 

"You're my boyfriend! You seriously blew me off to come to Zayn's? And why the fuck does it smell like weed in here?" He ran a hand through his hair and stared at me, waiting for a response. Lie, lie, lie, I told myself.

"Zayn's house always smells like weed." 

"You were high last night, weren't you?" He growled. I didn't say anything and he slammed his hand on the wall next to him, scaring the shit out of me. "Fuck it, Louis! What's wrong with you?"

"It's just marijuana! It's not like it was cocaine or some shit!" Zayn was probably laughing his ass off in the other room but I was too furious to care. Harry was so protective of me sometimes that I couldn't stand it. "I may be your boyfriend but you can't tell me what I can and can't do. I think I can make my own decisions thank you very much." I spat. Harry leaned into me, his jaw clenched. 

"You, Louis. You fucking left me for a plant. A plant. You're pathetic." My heart panged in my chest and I nodded. I had completely ditched my boyfriend for drugs. That was basically the definition of pathetic. 

"Yeah, I am pretty pathetic, aren't I?" I retorted, glancing up at him. His features softened a little but overall, he did a pretty good job of remaining cold-hearted. I just wanted to end this stupid fight and melt into his arms, but of course I had to suffer the consequences of my senseless actions that took place the previous night. 

"I don't even know what to say to you." He said softly, shaking his head. "Do you even want to be in this relationship?" That question caught me off-guard. My stomach twisted a little at the thought of breaking up with Harry. I wasn't ready for that at all and I needed to make sure that he knew that. 

"Of course I do, Harry." I sighed. 

"You sure as hell aren't acting like it. You've been avoiding me lately." His tone still had an edge to it, but our voices had lowered tremendously. 

"Just..." I didn't know what to say to him. The only explanation that I had was a really shitty one. Why was I avoiding Harry? My mind refocused on him and he had a frown etched into his features. 

"Actually, Louis, no. Forget it. Just get your stuff from the house and you can move in with Eleanor." He said quietly before turning around and heading to the door. I started to panic and rushed after him. 

"Wait!" He froze but didn't turn around to face me. "I don't have to move out until Saturday." There was a short silence before he replied. 

"I know." He said quietly. He was ending things between us because I couldn't tell him anything. My insides felt like they were caving in and my eyes started to water. He was not going to walk away from me. 

"You're making a huge fucking deal out of this!" I grabbed his arm and turned him around to find that there were tears in his eyes. That sight only made me feel worse. "Harry." My voice cracked and I started shaking my head. "Please don't leave. I'm so in love with you that I can barely function without you." 

"It doesn't seem that way anymore." 

"But you have to believe me when I say that I love you more than anything in the world. I only came here last night to get my mind off of a few things. I was too selfish to stay with you like I had promised." I rubbed my eyes and, before I could open them, I felt a pair of muscular arms hug my waist. Harry's head rested on my shoulder and I gladly accepted the gesture, the feeling of his arms around me filling the hole that was slowly forming in my heart. 

"Fuck everything, Louis." He mumbled into me. "We're so fucked up."

"No we aren't. I am, but you aren't. You're so perfect, Harry." I said softly. Harry hadn't done anything to mess up our relationship so far, only me. Every time we fought it was my fault and I hated myself for it. 

"I'm in love with you." He picked his head up and gave me a small smile. "I'm so fucking in love with you." My chest fluttered and my lips twitched upward. He had such a strong effect on me it was almost comical. 

"I know." We stood there for god knows how long until Zayn walked out and cleared his throat.

"Are you two done fighting over shit that doesn't matter?" He grinned. "I swear you're a couple of women." I shot him a glare and Harry gave him a rude gesture. "Oh, and you're welcome for the weed. Good shit, huh?" 

"Shut the fuck up, Zayn." I groaned. 

"I'm still pissed about that." Harry whispered before pulling away from me. He did have the right to be mad about me smoking, but he was making a huge deal out of it. Really, I could've been doing something much worse but his protective side probably got the best of him. 

"We're going to go." I announced, taking Harry's hand in mine. Zayn raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Don't say it, Zayn." I knew he was going to hint at us having make up sex and I didn't want to put Harry in that position. It would be too awkward and I really didn't want to deal with that. 

"You two have fun." Zayn said slowly. "Don't break the bed." I heard him mutter under his breath. 

"Sorry, what was that?" Harry asked playfully. Oh my god, Harry just shut up. 

"I said, don't break the bed." He gave me a devilish grin before turning around to go back to his room. "Bye!" He waved above his head, not bothering to look back. He could be such an ass sometimes. We walked outside and got into Harry's car, his smell hitting me like a ton of bricks. 

I felt Harry nudge my arm and I looked down at him. He had half of his mouth curved into a grin and I could tell he had a joke under his hat. "You know, I have been wanting a new bed." He murmured. I swear my heart stopped. 

"Harry Edward Styles, are you hinting at what I think you're hinting at?" I said cautiously. The seductiveness left his face and he looked at the road as he backed into the street. 

"Do you want me to be hinting at that?" He asked. He was so careful and it always made me feel like a shit boyfriend because I never retaliated. I just went with my gut. But Harry always put himself in someone else's shoes before saying anything that could be potentially offensive and it never ceased to amaze me. He was such an honest and genuine person that it made my heart swell with even more affection. 

"Do you want me to want you to be hinting at that?" I evaded his eyes as I avoided directly answering his question. He knew my tricks by now so all that he did was let out a tiny giggle. That giggle was enough to make my eyes snap up to his and it had me reaching out to poke his stupid dimple. 

"What?" He asked innocently. God, he could not get any cuter. 

"You're one of the most adorable people I've ever known." My voice was a bit slower than usual considering I was mesmerized by the way his hair curled around his perfect face and how his perfectly chiseled jaw was staring right at me. 

"I'm not adorable, Louis." He scoffed. "I am a man."

"Yeah, a man who likes dick and keeps a journal." I snorted. He shot a glare my way but laughed. 

"You weren't supposed to find that journal." He reminded me. 

"You're right, but that doesn't change the fact that you still have one. However, if you hadn't started writing in one, how would I have known that I could suck your dick and actually have you enjoy it?" He bit his lip and stifled a giggle. 

"Shut up." He said, shaking his head. My eyes traveled down his long, muscular arm that was extended over the steering wheel and I could practically feel myself drooling. The way his tattoos fit perfectly over his tanned biceps made it hard not to stare. At the top of the steering wheel, his hand hung limply, his long and thin fingers tapping the air. "It's rude to stare, Louis." He said, breaking me from my trance. 

"I wasn't staring." I said, sinking into my seat. How could I not stare?

"I just saw you gaping at my arm." 

"I don't know what you're talking about. I have much better things to do than stare at your arms." He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. 

"Yeah, okay." A small smile was evident on his lips and I crossed my arms in satisfaction. I had managed to find the most perfect guy in the world without even trying. 

~

Harry and I were sprawled out on my bed, laptops in front of us. It was one of those boring Wednesday evenings when you have absolutely nothing to do so you rot your mind on the internet. I was on Twitter and Harry was on Tumblr, neither of us saying a word to each other for an extended period of time. 

"Louis, look at this." Harry said, nudging my shoulder. I moved my eyes to his screen and saw a masterpost of us being "anything but platonic". 

"Louis and Harry are anything but platonic." Harry began reading. "I have never in my life seen two males look at each other they way they do. You can practically see the heart emojis floating between them." He stopped and looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "I guarantee there's another Larry song on the new album. I'm totally expecting a lyric change involving the two during the Where We Are Tour as well. Anyway, here are some pictures of them being utterly adorable." I watched as Harry reblogged the post then started laughing. 

"I think we have more fans than we thought." He continued to scroll through his dash and I shook my head in disbelief. 

"They always nail these things right on the head, don't they? Eleanor being a beard, you writing songs for me, all of that shit. I swear they're spying on us." 

"They're just really good at making up theories that just happen to be true." 

"You can tell yourself that all you want. I'm set on them being spies." I pushed myself up before getting off of the bed and receiving a pouty lip from Harry. 

"Where are you going?" He asked with fake anguish. 

"To get something. Stay here." I backed out of my room while giving him a playful smile before entering his room. I kicked a pair of pants across the room and made my way to the corner to retrieve his guitar. I picked up the beautiful instrument and ran my fingers over the strings once, immediately slapping them down so the sound didn't echo to my room. When I reentered my room, Harry was on my computer. "What are you doing?" I asked, causing him to jump. 

"Nothing." He said quickly. I rolled my eyes and walked to my bed, setting the guitar down in front of him. "What's that for?"

"I want you to make it for dinner." I said sarcastically. He pursed his lips and I laughed. "I want you to play it, stupid."

"What song?" Harry snatched it up and held it in his lap like a baby. The guitar fit him perfectly and I felt my cheeks heat up with affection. 

"You and I." I sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. 

"Cheeky." He said, kissing the top of my head. The intro to the song began and I closed my eyes, enjoying every second of it. I loved being with Harry. Everything about him made me feel weightless. 

"I figured it out

I figured it out from black and white

Seconds and hours

Maybe they had to take some time"

Somehow his voice always managed to activate my zen mode. I could be stressing about ten things at once and the second I heard his voice, those things flew out the window. My hand found its way onto Harry's knee and I snuggled closer to his neck as he sang. Each word drilled into my heart and it fluttered with the fact that this song was written for me. This was my special song and no one else's. 

Sooner than I would have liked, the song ended and Harry set down his guitar. "You know that every single one of those lyrics applies to our relationship, right?" 

"I like to think that, yeah." I said softly. I looked up at him and his eyes darted down to my lips. He slowly leaned down before placing a chaste kiss on my mouth. 

"I love you a lot." He whispered. 

"I love you more."


	20. Chapter Twenty

Louis' P.O.V.

"Your hands are so big." I flattened my palm against Harry's while he ordered our drinks. We were currently at Starbucks picking up coffee for the two of us and Liam. Harry and Liam had gotten closer while I was being a dick so of course they were still best friends. Liam had invited Harry over to play FIFA and I was somehow dragged into it. It wasn't that I didn't want to go, I just didn't want to see Harry all over Liam. I mean, of course he could talk to him and stuff. Liam just wasn't allowed to touch him. 

So maybe I'm a bit jealous, but really, who cares. 

"Your hands are just small." He smiled down at me and I returned the gesture. I loved the curve of his dimples when he genuinely smiled. It was one of my favorite things about him, to be exact. That and the way his body molds into mine when we sleep and the feel of his heartbeat under me. Those were the things I could no longer have because I now lived with Eleanor.

Harry accepted the tray of coffee and paid before we exited, trying not to be seen by anyone. We hadn't been scolded for nearly three weeks so we were avoiding anything that could possibly lead to an explosion from management. I happily made my way across the parking lot to Harry's car before jumping into the passenger's seat. Harry soon followed, setting the tray of beverages on my lap. 

"Song?" He asked, shutting his door and starting the car. I grabbed his phone and unlocked it before scrolling through his music selection. 

"I will never get over what strange music taste you have." I laughed. He had nearly five hundred songs on his phone and I had never heard of about three hundred of them. 

"Oh, wait!" He said excitedly. "Play 'Robbers' by the 1975." I sighed and scrolled until I found what he wanted. 

"This isn't another one of those songs where you can't even hear the person singing, is it?" I asked. He had a few albums that I couldn't even decipher and there was no point in listening to them. 

"Just listen and you'll find out." He grinned. He turned up the music a few decibels and I sat back, clinging onto the coffee. We sat in silence, Harry insisting that I 'absorb' the song. I had to admit, it was a pretty good song. We were already halfway to Liam's when it was over and another song started. "So?" Harry asked, glancing over at me. 

"I approve." He beamed and fist pumped the air once. 

"I knew you'd like it. I just knew." 

"I'm sure you did. You're the only person who could ever get me to like that stuff, you know that, right?" 

"Of course, babe." It was silent for a couple minutes before I felt Harry's hand creep into mine. "My hand is cold." He lied. It obviously wasn't, considering how much it was sweating, but I didn't say anything. "Louis?" I turned my head to look at him. He only used my real name when he was being serious so I decided to give him all of my attention. 

"Do you want to sneak out of Eleanor's tonight and spend the night with me? We haven't tried it yet and there are a few things I want to do..." He paused. "To you."

"To me?" I felt my face turn crimson and Harry gave me his half smile. 

"Yeah. To you." He pulled into Liam's driveway and turned off the car before turning back to me. "Text her and see what she thinks?" My stomach tingled with the idea of Harry having something planned for me. By the way he said it, it sounded like it was sexual, too. Two weeks of nothing but my right hand was making me a bit antsy so, naturally, I accepted. 

"Of course." I grinned. He nodded then leaned in for what was supposed to be a quick kiss, but obviously wasn't going to be. We had only kissed maybe five times since I moved out and that clearly wasn't enough to fulfill our desires. 

I set the coffee on the floor before Harry pulled me over the armrest and onto his lap so I was straddling him. His tongue prodded around mine, his hands desperately grasping my backside. I started to grind my hips into his and he moved his lips to my neck. I was almost fully hard and surely had a love bite on my neck when the car alarm went off. Harry and I jumped up, resulting in a bump on the head and a very awkward position. 

"Fuck." He breathed, reaching underneath him. "Fucking button." I saw Liam come outside and I quickly opened Harry's door and stepped out of the car. 

"Hi, Liam!" I said, trying not to look guilty of nearly fornicating with my boyfriend in his driveway. 

"Don't pull that shit, Louis. I saw you two going at it in there. I nearly pissed myself when the alarm went off." I rolled my eyes and walked to my side of the car to retrieve the drinks. Harry was walking up to the front door once I had gotten them, holding the door open for me. 

"Thank you, love." I said lowly, stepping inside Liam's flat. Sophia was out spending Liam's money so it was just the three of us, thank god. 

"I'm not going to be able to take you seriously with that love bite." Liam snorted, pointing at my neck. I reached my hand up to touch the spot Harry had made on my skin and groaned. 

"Harry." I whined. "You asshole." He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and set his chin on top of my head. 

"You deserved it, dickhead." He murmured. I placed my hands over his and leaned into him a bit, simply enjoying being snuggled up in his arms again. I missed that more than anything, really. We would always cuddle and he would run his fingers through my hair while talking a bunch of nonsense. Now that I lived with Eleanor, I was lucky to even come into contact with someone once a day. 

I still hadn't figured out what was wrong with Eleanor that night at the BRITs. She hadn't had another 'episode' since then so I figured it was a one-time thing. 

"Would you two stop being mushy and get over here?" Liam said through a mouthful of crisps. 

"Yeah, Harry. We need to be manly men with Liam today." I said, deepening my voice. Harry giggled as I pulled him over to the couch and onto my lap. Liam shot us a look that said 'seriously' and I beamed at him. 

"Do you want in on this cuddle?" Harry asked him. Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

"Fine." He scooted closer to Harry and I before Harry threw his arms around him. It was quite the awkward position but it left us laughing. "Andy is coming over and I swear to god if he sees this." Liam muttered, crushed under Harry's weight. 

"And scatter." I wheezed, Harry's knee digging into my dick. Harry rolled off of us and into the floor, making a thud when he landed. 

"Alright, mate?" Liam said, leaning over Harry. He gave him a thumbs up then crawled over to the TV stand to grab the controllers. He handed Liam and I one before plopping down between us. 

"What time is Andy coming?" I asked, waiting for the Xbox to boot up. Liam looked at the clock then back at the TV, going through the steps to start up the game. 

"He should be here anytime now." As if on cue, the front door burst open and Andy walked in with a 24-pack of beer. "And there he is." Liam laughed. 

"Hey mates." Andy nodded, heading into the open kitchen. "Brought the booze." 

"But we have coffee!" Liam said, motioning to our drinks on the table. "Oh and we're doing single player teams so only two can play at a time." The three of us looked at each other and Harry sighed. 

"I'll sit out. But- I'm just letting you know that I'm cheering for both of you." He sat back and crossed his arms, throwing the controller on the floor. I huffed and nudged his knee. 

"I'll give you ten quid and a blow job if you cheer for me." I whispered. 

"Jesus fuck." Liam groaned, looking over at us. "No bribing!" Harry and I laughed and he winked at me. 

"I'll accept that offer." He whispered back. Liam started the game and Andy passed out drinks before sitting down in Liam's recliner. I obviously kicked Liam's ass, partially because of skill, but mainly because of Harry's constant threats of no foreplay if I lost. I cracked open my beer and smirked at Liam. 

"Never had a chance." I said, shaking my head. 

"Hey, you had a good cheerleader. And yes, I could hear everything you were saying." He laughed, nudging Harry. 

"Wait. Are you two, like, together?" Andy asked, motioning between Harry and I. We looked at each other then back at Andy before nodding. 

"Yeah.. I hope that's okay." I said sheepishly. I wasn't sure if Andy would support us or not, but to my relief he grinned. 

"Wicked." He took a sip of beer then focused on the TV screen again. Harry grabbed my hand and squeezed it before pressing a kiss to my temple. 

"I'm want to play Louis now." He announced. 

~

"Start to leave around seven, okay?" Harry said. We sat in his car in front of Eleanor's place, going over the plan for my 'escape'. 

"Alright. Anything you want me to bring?" 

"Your dick and an extra set of clothes. Maybe a toothbrush, too." He grinned. My cheeks flushed and he laughed. "Now go tell Eleanor what's going on. She'll be more than happy to assist you in your departure." He gave me a quick kiss on the lips before I got out of the car. 

"Love you." 

"I love you, too. Now go. I have things to do." He smirked. I shook my head and slammed the door shut before walking up to the front door. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door, finding Eleanor curled up on the couch in sweats. 

"Hey." I said flatly. She looked up at me and smiled. 

"Hi. How was your date?" I kicked off my shoes and walked into the living room, resting my hands on the back of the sofa. 

"It wasn't really a date but it was fun." I saw her eyeing my neck and my hand quickly covered the bruise. I really needed to tell Harry to stop giving me hickeys all of the time. 

"I'd say." She narrowed her eyes at me. I looked down at her lap and saw a bowl of popcorn resting in between her legs. 

"Care to share?" I said cheekily. She rolled her eyes and held up the bowl. I gladly took a handful before starting down the hall to the bathroom. Eleanor's flat was meant for her and only her, so there was only one bathroom. It made mornings difficult but we suffered through it. I shut the door behind me and unzipped my pants before lifting the toilet lid. She had scolded me numerous times for leaving the lid up but I just brushed it off. It really wasn't that big of a deal. As I was doing my business, something white and purple in the waste-basket caught my eye and my heart stopped. I quickly zipped up my pants and flushed the toilet, briefly washed my hands for good measure, then walked back into the living area. 

"Hey Eleanor?" I asked warily, standing in the doorway. Her head turned to me and she threw a couple pieces of popcorn in her mouth.

"Yeah?" 

God, how was I supposed to ask this? "Um... is there anything that you want to tell me? Like, at all?" I nervously rocked back and forth on my heels and she gave me a confused stare. Something must have clicked because she stopped chewing and her eyes widened. 

"Louis." She said quickly, standing up from the couch. The bowl of popcorn was knocked to the ground, but that was the least of my worries at the moment. I waited for her to say something else but nothing came out of her mouth. She just stood there gaping at me like I was about to shoot her. 

"Whose is it?" I asked. Her features softened a little and she shrugged. 

"I have no fucking clue." She groaned, bringing the heels of her hands up to her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Louis. I was going to tell you but I wasn't sure and now I've fucked everything up and you're probably livid and-"

"Just calm down a little, okay?" I stepped closer to her and shoved my hands in my pockets. "Is that why you were so upset at the BRITs?" She nodded and I surprised myself by pulling her in for a hug. "For the record, I'm not mad at you. Well, not right now anyway." She melted into me as I awkwardly absorbed her tears with my shirt. I was shit at comforting people but it was even worse with Eleanor. Yeah, we'd been friends before all of this, but not the type who cried to each other about shit. We would occasionally shoot the other a text and that was it. 

"I'm sorry." She said, her voice cracking.

"We'll figure it out, okay? I promise I'm not angry." She nodded then pulled away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. 

"I'm going to go out for a bit." 

"Where?" I asked. I wasn't sure when this sort of shit started becoming my business, but I felt like I had to have some form of protection over her. I mean, after all, she was my girlfriend. 

"I don't know. I'll go shopping or something. I just need to clear my head. I'm really sorry I didn't say something, Louis." She repeated. I shook my head and laughed. 

"I swear I'm not angry with you. Just go clear your head if you need to. I don't want you going insane in here all night." I joked. She gave me a weak smile before going in for another hug. I made an odd noise out of surprise but quickly returned the gesture. 

"Thank you." She said genuinely. "You're so good to me." She pulled away again and hurried back to her bedroom before I could respond. 

We were fucked. 

~

I stood in the much-too-familiar elevator of what used to be our apartment complex, impatiently rocking back and forth. The stupid thing was taking way too damn long to get to Harry's floor and I was getting antsy. 

I had easily made it out of Eleanor's flat, but pulling into the driveway of the apartments was more difficult. People liked to wait outside of Harry's place for some reason, so I had to be stealthy when I arrived. Luckily, neither of the two girls waiting outside had known it was me pulling in because of my new car. I had bought a black Range Rover like Harry's after I moved in with Eleanor since Harry could no longer drive me everywhere. 

The elevator dinged and the door opened, leading me to quickly exit the cramped thing and head toward Harry's flat. I sighed with relief when I reached his door then lightly tapped my knuckles against the wood. After a few seconds, the door clicked open and Harry's perfect face came into view. 

"Hi, Lou." He said in his stupid 'royalty' voice. 

"Harry." I said casually, stepping into the living area. I missed the place so much and I just wanted to stay there forever with Harry in tow. Harry closed the door then walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. 

"What's new? I haven't seen you for a while." He giggled, pressing his forehead against mine. I pressed my lips together and debated whether or not to spill the beans. 

"Well... Eleanor's pregnant." 

I should have kept my mouth shut.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

Louis' P.O.V.

Harry stared at me for a moment before a small laugh escaped his lips. "Good one." He thought that I was joking and an amused expression rested on his features.

"No, Harry. Seriously." The smile was wiped off of his face in seconds, a scowl quickly replacing it. Please don't blow up, I thought. 

"What the fuck, Louis? Whose is it? She's going to fuck everything up!" His voice was raised and he stormed further into the flat, me trailing behind. This was such a terrible idea. 

"She doesn't know who the father is. Harry just-"

"Seriously? She's slept with that many people? What a fucking slut." He scoffed. I tensed my jaw and crossed my arms. I could take him being worried about our stunt, but judging her was crossing the line. He had no right to call her out on her actions even if she had slept around. It was her body and her life and she could do whatever she wanted with it. 

"Don't you fucking call her that!" I yelled. He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at me. 

"Since when do you care about her? She's not even your girlfriend! You have no reason to defend her!" Something in me snapped and I was furious. I walked up to Harry and clutched the front of his shirt in my fist. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something. 

"You're usually the sensible and nice one in this relationship." I said through my teeth. "What the fuck is happening to you. She's my friend and I actually happen to care for her. Stop being such a fucking dick and help me figure out how to solve this problem." I shoved him a little when I released his shirt and he looked frazzled. His hand ran through his hair and he looked at the floor, a defeated look about him. 

"I'm sorry." He said calmly, looking back up at me. My blood pressure lowered a little, but not enough for me to be completely calm. "She's just going to make this a lot harder than it needs to be." 

"She's not a slut." I said, defending her from Harry's earlier assumptions. 

"I know, okay? Fuck, people are going to think the kid is yours. What will that do to the band's image? To your image?" He gulped and I felt the tension slowly leave the room. Our fights were always over the absolute dumbest things and were almost always resolved in under five minutes. I guess that was one good thing about our relationship. "Why does this have to be so difficult? Everything would be so much easier if we didn't have to hide." He moved onto the couch and sat back, putting his hands on his face. 

"I'm sorry I grabbed your shirt." I said, sitting down next to him. His hands slid down his face and onto his lap before a smirk formed on his lips. 

"I thought it was hot, to be quite honest." He said gruffly. A smiled spread across my face and Harry soon had me in his arms, bridal style, and was carrying me back to his room. 

"God I've missed this." I commented. He looked down at me before kissing me slowly then pushing his door open with his foot. 

"I've missed you." He set me on the bed and crawled on top of me, his curls spilling over his face. 

"Christ, Harry. You're so beautiful." I placed my hands on either side of his face and pulled him down to me so I could kiss him. I quickly swiped my tongue across his bottom lip and pressed further into his mouth, our bodies intertwining. The fire I felt between us made me realize that Harry was the one. He was it and I would never, ever love anyone else. I'd either marry this boy or die alone and there was no other option. I needed to be closer to him more than anything and I knew it was time. "Harry." I said, stopping our movements. He opened his eyes and looked into mine curiously. 

"What's wrong?" He pushed himself up a bit so he wasn't crushing me and I ran my hand through his messy hair. 

"I want to right now." I said in a whisper. His eyes narrowed in confusion but he quickly caught on. 

"Are you sure?" He asked, sitting up on my lap. My groin was already straining against my pants and I could only imagine how Harry would feel around me. 

"God, yes. I need it, Harry." I propped myself up on my elbows and stared at him. Did he want to be on top? I sure hoped not. The idea of being inside of him made my stomach turn with pleasure. "Please unzip my pants." I said with a strained voice. 

"Cheeky." He grinned then followed through with what he was supposed to do, yanking my jeans down my legs. "Do you want to be on top?" He asked, unsure of his actions. I nodded before grabbing his hand and placing it where I needed to be touched the most. 

"Shit." I said under my breath. Harrys slowly rubbed me through my boxers and I realized that he probably needed some relief as well. I unzipped his jeans before hastily pushing them down his legs, him doing the rest of the work. My hand moved to his boxers and he let out a breath. "Do you have anything?" I asked, referring to condoms and lube. He nodded toward the side table drawer and I used my free hand to open it. I spotted the small bottle of lube and a box of condoms side-by-side and I quickly snatched them up. I picked a condom out of the box and placed it next to me along with the bottle before switching positions with Harry so he was beneath me. 

"I'm in love with you." He stated, staring straight at me. I pulled his shirt over his head and placed kisses along his jaw, goosebumps forming on his skin, 

"I'm really in love with you." I retorted, pulling his boxers down. His erection pressed against his stomach and I became painfully hard. My boxers were quickly removed and I slid on the condom before coating my fingers with the gel. "Have you ever been with a guy before?" I asked, sliding a finger into him. His lips formed an 'o' and he shook his head. "Neither have I." I inserted a second finger and stretched him as much as I could. 

"I'm sorry if this hurts, love." I said softly. 

"It's... it's fine, Lou. Keep doing it." His eyes were closed and his brow was brought together in concentration. "Fuck - how do you know how to do this?" He asked, his voice raspy. I was almost too embarrassed to say anything, but then I remembered that this was Harry and he didn't give a shit. 

"Gay porn." I laughed slightly and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I added another finger and he bit his lip. I must've hit a good spot because he moaned at one point. 

"Fucking hell, Louis. Do that again." I stroked over the same spot and his nails dug into my bicep, surely leaving marks. "Feels so good." He grunted as I repeatedly hit the same spot. "I'm going to come if you don't stop soon." I pulled my fingers out of him before grabbing the bottle of lube again and putting more onto my hand. I coated it onto my dick before lining myself up with Harry's entrance. 

"I love you, Harry Styles." I said before slowly pushing myself into him. He squeaked as I pushed in further, his nails digging further into my skin. "Are you okay?" I asked, stopping my movements. 

"Give me a second." He groaned, tightening around me a bit. The feeling was incredible. Honestly, I'd never thought anything could ever feel that good. Being this close to the person you loved was like heaven on earth and I never wanted the feeling to end. "Okay." I moved deeper into him and moved my lips to his neck, harshly sucking on the skin below his ear. Once I was fully inside of him, I let him adjust to what was happening before slowly thrusting. His fingers scraped down my back and I moved against him, my teeth grazing his collarbone. "Fuck." He panted against me, my pace picking up a bit. The sound of our sweaty bodies colliding and the profanities spilling from our mouths were the only sounds filling the room. It seemed as if the rest of the world had stopped around us and we were the only two people who mattered. The boy under me was giving himself to me and there was nothing more I could ask for. This was everything I'd ever need. 

"Fuck - Harry. Never leave me." I begged, my insides starting to contract. 

"Never, Lou. God, never." His eyes were tightly shut, his lips parted slightly as I continued to move in and out of him. "Louis, I'm almost there." He said, out of breath. I nodded, no words forming because I was trying to hold in my orgasm for Harry. "I know you need to, Lou. Don't wait for me." He urged. I shook my head and kept going, my body starting to lock up already. Harry's back arched drastically as he spilled all over himself and the bed, my name the only thing leaving his lips.

"Harry." I moaned, releasing inside of him. My orgasm took over completely, my eyes screwing shut. I bit Harry's shoulder as I rode out my high, the sensation almost too powerful to bear. I collapsed on top of him, our limp and worn out bodies molding together perfectly. My breath fanned across his neck and I could feel his rapid heartbeat beneath me. This was one of those perfect moments that I would never, ever forget. 

"I love you so much, Louis." Harry said tiredly. I smiled, my eyes still shut, and intertwined our fingers. 

"I love you more than anything." I kissed his knuckles before nuzzling my face into the crook of his neck. He smelled and looked like sex and I started to wonder how I'd ever gotten so lucky. The most inhumanly perfect person I'd ever met was latched onto me and loved me. Harry loved me. 

"My ass is going to hurt tomorrow." He grunted. "And now I need to shower and change my sheets." 

"Jesus, you are the woman in this relationship, aren't you?" I chuckled, placing a kiss on his jaw. He scowled and pushed me off of him, my sticky chest now visible. "Gross. Your bodily fluids are all over me." 

"It's your fault. Maybe if you weren't so god damn irresistible we wouldn't be in this situation." He smirked and stood up from the bed. "Get up so I can change the sheets." 

"No." 

"Fine. I'll make you sleep in a crusty-ass bed then." I groaned and rolled onto the floor, hitting my head slightly. "Idiot." He laughed. I laid there as he stripped the bed and took the sheets to the laundry room. When I turned my head to look under his bed, I saw that damn journal lying underneath it. He was horrible at hiding the thing. I debated whether or not to look through it again, knowing that I really shouldn't. Before I could make a decision, Harry had walked back into the room and was standing in front of me. 

"What are you doing?" He asked, bending down slightly. 

"Nothing. Let's go shower." He shrugged and held out his hand for me, pulling me up off the floor. "Your sex hair is enough to make me hard again." I commented, walking into his bathroom. He giggled, fucking giggled, and wrapped his arms around my waist. 

"Who knew that I'd be the one to make you hard." He kissed my head next to my ear and went to turn the shower on. "I still think it's funny that we ended up together." He looked at his left bicep and pointed to his 'hi' tattoo. "I'll never regret this one." I blushed then looked down at my 'oops!' tattoo. 

"How many matching tattoos do we have at this point?" I asked curiously. Harry shrugged and looked back at the shower. 

"Let's find out." He held his hand out to me and led me into the shower, pulling the curtain shut once we were in. "Let me look." He ran his finger down my right arm and stopped on my 'oops!' tattoo again. "One." He traced my compass then looked up at me. "Two." 

After pointing out all of them, there were seven total. "And we wondered why people thought we were a couple? Christ." I laughed. 

"I think it's funny how one of us would get one and the other would get one to match. Why on earth..." Harry shook his head and water droplets scattered onto my face. 

"Fate." I said simply. He looked at me in disbelief and I shrugged. "Oh, come on, Harry. If you don't believe in fate by now then you're an idiot." 

"No, I believe in it. You just got all mushy on me and I wasn't expecting it." He stepped closer to me and moved his hands down to my bum. "I can't believe fate was nice enough to lead me to a guy with a great ass." I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. 

"Twat." I muttered, smiling. 

"I love you, too." 

He was mine.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Louis' P.O.V.

*Four months later*

"Eleanor, you can't wear tight shit anymore." I reminded her when she walked into the living room. Her baby bump had just popped up about two weeks ago and she had to start wearing loose-fitting shirts. Although she wasn't showing that much, it was still noticeable. Obviously, no one was going to know about the baby anytime soon. She had refused to give it up and I fully understood her decision. 

"I know, Louis. I'm wearing a coat so it will be fine. No one will notice." She picked her handbag up off of the table and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

It was January and that meant publicity stunts everywhere. Harry was supposed to be frolicking around with Kendall Jenner, but that wasn't going so well. He had gone to LA for two weeks to sort of certify that the rumors going around about them were 'true'. I laughed out loud when I saw an article about him leaving her hotel room looking "freshly fucked". It wasn't until I saw the picture of him that I actually became worried about him cheating on me. 

Naturally, I gave him a call which ended with him crying and saying how sorry he was for not fucking her. It was a confusing conversation, to say the least, but we worked through it. He got home a few days ago and we fucked until we couldn't see straight, so that sort of made up for the confusion. 

Eleanor and I were currently going on a shopping 'date' that management had arranged and I was only slightly entertained by the thought of it. 

We had become closer friends, obviously, but Harry was still ridiculously jealous of her and I knew that that would not change anytime in the near future. He might even go to the grave with resentment in his heart. But really, who could know these things. 

I shoved my phone in my back pocket before opening the front door, gesturing for Eleanor to go outside first. 

After a car ride filled with used carbon dioxide and talk about baby names, we arrived at the mall. Apparently our wonderful team at Modest! had called every pap in the fucking vicinity to photograph our date that was filled with love and admiration. I laced my fingers with Eleanor's as we happily made our way into the large building, a sea of paps following us. I honestly thought that thirty pictures of us outside was enough, but apparently not. 

"Topshop?" She suggested, pointing ahead of us. 

"Whatever you'd like." We weaved our way through gaping consumers and eventually made it to our destination in one piece. I looked around to make sure no one could hear before leaning into Eleanor's ear. "I heard they have an absolutely dashing maternity section." I joked. She elbowed me in the stomach and that was the end of that. 

After shuffling through racks upon racks of black and white shirts, she settled on a black sheer blouse and a fuzzy white sweater. "This thing is probably what heaven feels like." She held the sleeve of the sweater out to me and I ran my fingers along it.

"Are you sure Zayn's body isn't what heaven feels like." 

"Not one fucking conversation." She muttered, snatching the sweater away from me. 

"Can I go get something to impress Harry with? We have a date tonight and I need to look fresh as fuck." I curled my thumb into her hand and she looked down at her hand then up at me. 

"Did you just say 'fresh'?" She asked, disgust clear in her voice and features. 

"Yes, Mussolini, I did. Anything else I can say that goes against your dictated vocabulary?" She actually laughed out loud at that joke and dragged me into the men's section. "I'm so flattered that you've finally started to appreciate my sense of humour. The sun has come out and the future is looking bright." She rolled her eyes and shoved a lavender button up into my arms. 

"Do you understand how infatuated Harry was with you when you dressed like this?" Her eyes landed on a pair of suspenders and I immediately shot down her idea. 

"No. No fucking way. I look so fucking homoeretic in that shit, Eleanor." She raised an eyebrow and I ripped the suspenders off of the rack. "I swear to god." I mumbled under my breath. 

"He's going to have fun peeling those things off of you." She remarked as we made our way to the checkout. 

"Why are you even thinking of that?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what her repsonse was going to be. Her face reddened a bit and I grinned. "Please don't tell me you think of us fucking on a regular basis."

"No! Gross, Louis! Ew! God, just, no." She covered her face and I put the clothes on the counter, laughing. I paid for the shit then grabbed her hand again, dragging her throughout the mall. People followed us and took pictures and quite frankly, I didn't give a shit. I was too infatuated with the idea of Harry snapping my suspenders against me and unbuttoning my oxford with that stupid smirk on his face. I could just imagine hovering over him as he latched his fingers onto my braces, pulling me down to kiss him. He would lick up my jaw and grind his hips into mine and I would be so hard that I thought I was going to die. 

I felt a pair of lips on mine and my fantasies about Harry and I vanished. Eleanor pulled away then walked us over to a corner. "What the hell are you thinking about? Look at yourself." She motioned to my groin and I was half-hard, my jeans visibly tighter than normal. 

Public humiliation was my enemy today and it had totally won this battle. 

"Why did you kiss me?" I asked, the only question that was suitable for the air around us. 

"I tried to get your attention but you were so lost in your own mind that it was the only option. Plus, the publicity will be praised." 

"Well kiss me again so this hard-on goes away." Her jaw went slack and made an apologetic face. "Okay, that came out a lot worse than intended." I rubbed the back of my neck and scrunched up my nose. "Please just make out with me." Feeling her tongue on mine would surely soften my dick a little. 

"Fine. Come here." She wrapped her arms around my neck and I went in for the kill, shoving my tongue into her mouth the second our lips made contact. My hands squeezed her hips and she started laughing into the kiss, making me laugh too. This was ridiculous. I was making out with my fake girlfriend in public just so I could become less aroused. Shit like this didn't happen every day. 

I heard a snap behind me and immediately pulled away from Eleanor. "Fuck." I whispered, turning around to find a couple paps snapping pictures of us. "Harry is going to kill me shit, shit, shit, fucking shit. I'm dead, Eleanor. I'm a goner. You're never going to see me again." She grabbed my wrist and sighed. 

"He's not going to kill you. Let's just go home. Thirty minutes with you is all that I can handle for the day." We made our way to the door but were stopped by a man with a very expensive looking camera and a recording device. 

"Is it true that the baby is yours?" The man asked. Eleanor flushed beside me and I shook my head, brushing past the man. There was no way that they knew Eleanor was pregnant. If they did they must have been tipped off by someone.

When we were safely in my SUV, I turned on some music and looked over at Eleanor. 

"They can't possibly know." I said, my elbow resting on the console. 

"How would they find out? No one has told anyone!" Her eyes looked glassy and I started panicking. I was so horrible at comforting people when they cried and now was definitely not a good time for her to break out in tears. 

"Maybe they're just making up shit again. Someone asked if you were pregnant at the Brits." I shrugged. I pulled out of the parking lot and saw Eleanor watching the world pass by from the window. "And even if they do know, we're going to figure something out, okay?" She didn't respond and I frowned. "Okay?" 

"Fine." She placed her hand on her stomach and a smile formed on her lips. "I just thought of a name." 

"Let's hear it." 

"Athena." I raised an eyebrow and she laughed. "She's the goddess of wisdom and courage. I don't know. It's just a cute name." She resumed looking out the window, the smile still visible. 

"I like it. But what if you have a boy?" 

"Levi." 

"Levi." I repeated. There were a few minutes of silence before Eleanor spoke again. 

"Louis?" She asked, her voice quieter than before.

"Hmm?" She fiddled with her hands in her lap and I immediately sensed that she was nervous about whatever was about to leave her mouth. 

"When the baby comes..." She paused. "You know what, never mind. It was stupid." 

"What were you going to say?" Her mouth opened then shut before opening again. 

"Could you stay in the baby's life for a while? Like, help me out a bit?" I looked over at her, completely shocked. "I don't mean financially!" She quickly corrected herself. "I just mean, I don't know, don't completely ignore them. Maybe put them to bed or feed them every once in a while. I'm not expecting you to be a father figure and, fuck, I don't even know if you'll still be living with me. I'm just asking that if you are still there, could you at least have some part in the kid's life?" I let her words sink in a bit and realized that she actually wanted me to help her with something. I guess I owed her considering she was pretending to date me. 

"Yeah, I think I can do that. I mean, I don't want the kid to grow up thinking that I'm it's father." 

"I know, yeah. It would just be really great if you could still act like my best friend." Her gaze shifted to her lap and I sighed. 

"I am your best friend." It wasn't a lie. Harry was my boyfriend and Eleanor was my best friend. Their roles were reversed for the public eye, but I was still close to both of them. 

"Thank you for that. No one has really stuck around since all of this started. They called me a gold digger and left." I felt guilty for her friends leaving her. It was my fault. Actually, it was management's fault, but I was going to blame myself. 

"It's my fault. I'm sorry. If I had known that that would happen I wouldn't have let management ask you about this." 

"No, no, Louis. They weren't real friends anyway. Just... Thank you for not hating me and actually speaking to me on these dates. I honestly didn't think that you would." 

"We were friends before so I don't see any reason to stop because of a stupid business deal." I put my hand on her knee and her eyes widened. 

"Can I ask you a question?" She said, still eyeing my hand. 

"Anything." 

"Have... Have you ever felt anything when we kissed? I know that you love Harry, but I'm just wondering. You don't have to answer." I was a bit taken aback by her question. Did I ever feel anything? Maybe one time, but Harry couldn't know that. There just isn't that spark between us like there is between Harry and I. 

"No. Maybe once. But overall, er, no." I felt sort of bad, but she almost looked relieved. "Why? Do you have the hots for me or something?" I wiggled my eyebrows and she laughed. 

"Ugh, god no. But your friend Stan isn't too bad." A grin spread on my face and a plan was already forming in my head. "But don't tell him! God, how embarrassing."

"Oh, trust me. I could totally set you two up. Let me call him when we get back to the flat." 

"No! I will skin you alive!" 

"I'm not promising that I won't." I settled into my seat with a smirk and a master plan ready for use. Stan was going to love me. 

~

"Lavender? Really?" Harry asked when he opened the door. 

"Well hello to you too, Mr. Styles." I stepped over the threshold and into his flat, shutting the door behind me. Harry's eyes widened when I shrugged off my jacket. 

"What the fuck are those." He pointed to my braces and my cheeks heated up.

"Do you not like them?" I tugged at one of them and his eyes scanned over me. He took a step forward before curling two fingers around the other one. 

"God, the fantasies I had about these things." He mumbled, snapping it against my chest. "We may have to skip dinner and go straight to dessert." He stared down at me hungrily and I cleared my throat, getting his attention. 

"As much as I would love to have my dick sucked right now, I am borderline famished. What five-course meal have you whipped up tonight?" I walked into the kitchen and Harry followed, his eyes basically burning another hole into my ass. 

"You haven't dressed like this since 2012. I missed your ass in those pants." 

"I asked what we can consume for dinner, not feast our eyes on." I snorted. He put his arms around my waist and grabbed my ass, lifting me off of the ground. 

"I made lasagna but I think it's going to go cold. You can't walk into my flat like this and not expect me to fuck you until you can't see straight."

"I don't see straight anyway." I commented. Harry rested his forehead on my chest and laughed. 

"Why am I madly in love with you." He muttered to himself. 

"You only love my ass, Styles. It's blatantly obvious."

"Just get your lasagna and sit down you tosser." He removed his arms from me and got a plate before filling it up and sitting down at his well-decorated table. I followed, sitting directly across from him. 

"You even have my favourite merlot." I touched the neck of the bottle and examined the label. "This costs more than the car I had when I was a teenager." I looked at the vase of white carnations (my favourite) that Harry had set off to the side and smiled. 

"I love you." Harry said out of nowhere.

"I think I love you too." I took a bite of the lasagna and almost moaned. "I love you for your experience with cuisine." 

"Hey, that's better than nothing. I'll take it." He pulled out his phone and after a few seconds his eyes narrowed at the screen. "Louis." He said flatly. 

"Yes?" He stopped moving his foot against mine and his jaw clenched. 

"What the fuck is this?" He showed me the picture of Eleanor and I exchanging saliva in the mall and I mentally slapped myself. I wanted to be tossed into a pit of hungry bears. 

"Funny story-"

"Louis." He cut me off, apparently not in the mood for my light-hearted attitude. "This isn't a fucking stage kiss. Your tongue is down her throat." I rested my head in my hands and groaned. 

"There's a reason behind it." I defended myself. My voice was weak and my explanation was probably weaker. I was a tit. 

"Please, do tell me why you found it necessary to shove your saliva into her mouth." He interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on them, looking at me expectantly. The reason was dumb as fuck and a little embarrassing, but why lie about it now. I was already in deep shit so why not pile on more. 

"Um, well, you see this outfit?" I motioned to my top half and he nodded. "I bought it today on my date with Eleanor. When we were walking through the mall I sort of zoned out and started fantasizing about you snapping my braces against me and taking this shirt off of me." Harry's face was newly flushed but he still had a stern look on it. "Anyway, that whole daydream sort of went straight to my dick. By that I mean that I literally had a hard on in public." 

Harry started laughing. Hard. 

"No! It's not fucking funny! I made Eleanor make out with me so it would go away!" I slumped onto the table, just missing my plate of pasta. 

"Seriously, Lou? Please tell me that's not the actual story." He wiped his eye with his finger, a grin still on his face. 

"It is." I grumbled into my arms. 

"Well shit. Why are we eating pasta when I could be underneath you right now." I heard his chair scrape back and mine did shortly after. "Bed. Now." 

"But the food-"

"Bed." I obeyed and followed Harry back to his bedroom. He flopped onto the bed and I went after him, straddling his hips. "Your bum is enough to make me come." He said, running his hands over my backside. His fingers then moved to the buttons on my shirt and he undid the first three. 

"Your shirt needs to be off. Now." He nodded and let me unbutton his oxford before tossing it onto the floor. "Your fucking abs." I ran my fingertips over his hard stomach and whimpered. 

"You know what would be fucking hot? Your clothes off and those braces attached to your boxers." He basically ripped my shirt off of me before maneuvering my clothes until they were the way he wanted them to be. "Shit." He said under his breath. His fingers wrapped around one of my suspenders and he pulled it back before snapping it onto my bare chest. 

"Fucking christ, Harry." I hooked my index finger into the waistband of his pants, silently begging him to let me take them off. 

"Please." He nodded. I unbuckled his belt and quickly pushed his pants down his legs until they reached his ankles. He kicked them off and he was left in nothing but a pair of tight black boxers. This could possibly be my cause of death some day. 

He suddenly grabbed both of my braces and pulled my body down so he could kiss me. The kiss was hot and needy and made my dick twitch. Harry was already halfway hard and I knew it wouldn't be too long before I was too. 

"Best thing you've ever worn over here. They're staying." He said against my lips. I nodded and moved my mouth down to his chest, sucking on his right bird tattoo. He groaned and I moved down to the butterfly before stopping at one of his new fern tattoos. 

"Muscles." I breathed, dragging my tongue up his stomach. His hands tangled in my hair as I licked over the curves of his abs, not missing an inch of skin. 

"Fuck, Louis." His grip tightened and I felt his erection under me. "Yeah, oh god." I slid my braces off of my shoulders and let them hang at my hips. Harry's eyes moved to them and then nearly bugged out of his head. "Please touch me." He begged. 

"Cheeky." I smirked, moving my hand to the inside of his boxers. I grabbed him and immediately started moving my hand back and forth, rubbing over the tip. I ground my bum into his thighs and that seemed to turn him on even more. He fisted the duvet beside him, profanity being tossed into the air like it was nothing. 

I pulled the top of his boxers down before taking him into my mouth. His hips bucked up and I gagged, quickly recovering. I wasn't one to let people mouth fuck me, but tonight was an exception. My tongue swirled around his tip and my thumb rubbed circles into his hip bone. 

"Fuck, Louis, I'm already close." I made a mental note to wear suspenders more often then hollowed my cheeks. Four more bobs of my head and Harry was tensing around me, releasing down my throat. He settled into the mattress and I moved up a bit, placing a small kiss on his lips. 

"The lasagna is cold."


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Louis' P.O.V.

"How are we already on a new tour?" Zayn groaned, dragging himself out of the rehearsal room. Our stadium tour kicked off in two weeks and the stress was starting to build. Last minute arrangements were being made and we had just finalized the setlist last week. It was the last week of January and February was seemed to be a promising month. With another single and the tour starting, there was no way we would ever be bored. 

We were in the same building as our management's offices, so Magee and Bloomfield took the opportunity to 'give us some details on the tour'. By 'us' they meant Harry and I. 

"I'm pretty pumped, man." Niall said excitedly. "It's going to be sick." Niall was always overly excited about everything that we did, but I had to admit that I was really looking forward to this tour as well. We were starting the whole thing in Colombia then going on from there. Apparently we were under the risk of being kidnapped in Bogota, which was quite thrilling. 

"I'm like, proper nervous though." Liam said. "My biggest fear is messing up on the first night of the tour. How embarrassing would that be?"

"Yeah, I'm always afraid that people will think the show is boring." Zayn added. 

"Mr. Malik, with you on that stage, I don't think anyone will be bored." Harry joked. "They could probably look at you all night and not even realize that the rest of us are on stage." Zayn shrugged and tried to suppress a smile. 

"Are you calling me ugly?" I asked jokingly. 

"Of course not. You're one of the prettiest people I've ever seen." Harry grabbed my hands and spun me around once.

"Christ." Liam mumbled. The boys had adapted to our relationship (finally), so our constant flirting and touching didn't bother them anymore. It was such a relief to not have to hide from them anymore. We were already hiding from enough people as it was. 

"Oh, and by the way." Harry began. "We should probably head up to the offices. They said to meet them after rehearsals." I groaned and Niall slapped me on the back. 

"Don't just assume that it's bad news!" He said cheerfully. "Maybe they'll let you two speak to each other again!"

"Yeah, I wish." I said, rolling my eyes. "They're probably coming up with a plan to strap us to opposite sides of the stage." Zayn snorted and Harry started laughing, too. "That wasn't even a joke."

"It's ridiculous, Lou. No one is going to do that." Harry grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the elevator. "Now come on. Bye boys!" We waved goodbye and the elevator door closed in front of us. 

"Something bad is going to happen." I sighed, leaning my head against the wall. Harry frowned and stood with his hands behind his back. 

"You don't know that."

"I can feel it. They're going to split us apart or something."

"Maybe they're discussing this whole thing with Eleanor?" Harry suggested, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Doubt it. She'd be here if they were." The elevator dinged and the door opened, a couple people waiting to get on. Harry and I got out and went to the front desk. 

"We're here to see Bloomfield and Magee." Harry said, his 'important' voice being used. I loved watching him when he was trying to be serious. His features became sharper and he looked even more attractive than before. 

He caught me staring and I, naturally, acted like nothing had happened. 

"Alright. I'll let them know that you're here! Just walk down the hall and to the meeting room." The blonde lady motioned behind her and we nodded, my hand finding Harry's. He smiled down at the gesture before leading us down the plain hallway and to the room we needed to be in. 

"I love you." He said quietly before pecking my lips. 

"I love you, too." I raised my hand to knock on the huge cedarwood door and it opened after a few seconds, Will's face coming into view. 

"Boys! Glad you're here! Come in." He stepped out of the way so Harry and I could walk in, shutting the door behind him.

"Hello, boys. Take a seat." Magee greeted. Both of us gave him a nod before sitting down at the long table. Will sat down next to him and my nerves started to pile up. I always knew that Will liked us more than Magee did, but both of them staring at us made me fidgety. 

I felt Harry's hand on my knee and it calmed me down a little. 

"So, you have a tour coming up." Will started. We nodded. "That means interaction on stage, harmonies, behind-the-scenes pictures, more tweets, and just being together more in general. Right?" We nodded again and Magee spoke. 

"During the last part of the Take Me Home tour, you boys barely spoke to each other. Obviously, things have changed." There was a hint of disapproval in his voice but I brushed it off. I was used to his bitterness toward mine and Harry's relationship at this point. "Since you two became... a thing, your fans have shown a new way of supporting you. I don't know if you've noticed, but they're more involved now that you two are together. They don't know for sure, but they're almost positive that you're dating. Record sales have gone up and so has your overall popularity." 

Anything that involved making money made Magee happy, so maybe something good was going to happen. 

"Although we aren't allowing you to come out to the public yet," Will added. "we do think it would be okay to let you be seen with one another again." Harry squeezed my thigh and grinned at me. "However, this doesn't mean that you can go on dates or anything like that. We just think it would increase your fans' dedication if you were more active with each other. An example is being able to touch each other on stage again. You can sing to each other, speak to each other, and maybe flirt once or twice if you'd like." 

I didn't realize I was smiling until Harry said so. "See, I told you it wasn't going to be bad." He whispered. 

"This is our way of easing the fans into your relationship so it won't be a huge shock when you do come out to the public." Magee said, not too happy about the words leaving his mouth. I almost choked. 

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. 

"You two can come out when your contract is up. It's up in 2015, correct?" I laced my fingers through Harry's and squeezed his hand. "We figured that it was the only option, considering people will assume that Eleanor's child is Louis'. If people know that you two were together the whole time, most of the assumptions will go away. We would rather have two gay band members than a member who impregnated a girl out of wedlock."

"We can come out?" I asked, still playing his words through my mind. 

"Yes." Will confirmed. "In 2015." 

I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders and had the sudden urge to kiss Harry. I didn't think our managers would appreciate that though, so I didn't. 

"Now, let's discuss Eleanor." I nodded because really nothing could ruin my mood at the moment. "She's twenty-one weeks along and is most definitely showing. Your shopping trip last week could have easily revealed her stomach to paparazzi." I raised an eyebrow and Harry snorted. 

"You mean the date that you arranged?" He laughed. 

"Yes, but we did not expect Eleanor to wear such tight clothing. I mean, after all, it is common sense. You don't want people to know about your baby but you're wearing fitted clothing? There's no point in keeping it a secret then!" Magee said, becoming angry. "There was an article on her 'Pregnancy Scandal' with you, Louis! We can't have that image here." 

"She's having a boy." I said suddenly. The three of them stared at me, confused. "She went to the doctor a couple days ago."

"Okay." Will said. "I'm not sure what that has to do with this conversation, but congrats to her. Anyway, she's not allowed in public once she hits the 24 week mark. That is the beginning of her third trimester and she will be much too obvious by then." 

"So what are you going to do? Hide her away until she has the baby then just have her and Louis out one day? The fresh baby in the pram might give something away!" Harry spat. Magee's hand ran down his face in frustration.

"This would be a lot easier if we could just come out before the baby is born. It would clear up a lot of things and make everyone's lives simpler." I stated, tapping my fingers on the table. Will looked over at Magee and his jaw clenched. 

"When is the baby due." He said flatly. 

"June 20th."

"When does the European leg of your tour begin?"

"May 23rd." Harry replied. Our bosses looked at each other then back at us. 

"Can you excuse us for a moment?" Will asked, pushing back his chair. We nodded and they left the room, leaving us so, so confused. 

"Does this mean we can be actual boyfriends before June." I asked, dazed. Harry turned his body toward mine and grinned. 

"What if I get to hold your hand in public?" He said excitedly. I grinned too, squeezing his hand out of excitement. 

"Where do you want to go on our first date?" I asked, already planning out our entire lives. 

"London. We can visit the Eye for the hundredth time." 

"Or we can make out by the Eiffel Tower when we go to France."

"Or we can go to Amsterdam and admire the scenery together."

"Or we can-" I was cut off by Will, Magee, and our other boss, Richard, walking into the room. 

"Hello, lads." Richard greeted. He was almost as nice as Will so I didn't really have a problem with him. They took a seat across from us and had unreadable expressions on their faces. "So, Eleanor's having a boy?" He asked. I smiled and nodded. 

"She's naming him Levi." I added. 

"Levi?' Harry asked quietly. "Cute." I lightly kicked his ankle and he bit his lip. 

"Tell her I said congrats." Richard said.

"I will certainly." I replied. 

"Now, the real reason that I was called in here is probably quite obvious to you two." He pushed his glasses up his nose a bit. 

"Yes sir." Harry and I answered at the same time. Richard was like the head boss of all bosses at Modest!, so we actually respected him a little more than the others. 

"Eleanor is due on June 20th and you're in a bit of a pickle. The European leg of your tour starts on May 23rd and you will be on it when the baby is born." I had never really thought of that before. I wasn't going to be there when Levi was born. For some reason, that upset me. 

"We briefly discussed this in my office only a couple of minutes ago, but we wanted to unravel the entire plan in front of you to see what you thought of it." Harry and I gave him an encouraging nod and he continued. "You have three options to choose from. There isn't one that we will decline, obviously, so don't worry about which one you pick. None of these options will change in the future unless you change your mind about which one you're going to go with.

"The first option is going through with you being Eleanor's boyfriend and her having the baby while you're still together. We would simply say that Eleanor cheated on you and that the baby certainly is not yours. You and Harry could continue to see each other exclusively." 

"I can't do that to her." I said immediately. "She doesn't deserve that image. People will basically burn her at the stake and call her derrogatory names. She doesn't need that." 

"Okay... On to the second one." Richard said, making a waving motion with his hand. "The second option is that you and Eleanor 'break up' because she cheated. Now, based on your previous comments, I'm going to guess that you won't want to go with that one. You and Harry also wouldn't be allowed to move in together after the break up." 

"Absolutely not." Harry shook his head. "No." 

"The third option is breaking up with Eleanor and telling the press that the baby isn't yours. However, we would come in and explain how you two were not actually dating at the time of conception, so it would not give her a bad image. Then on May 30th, 2014, during your concert in Manchester, you two could come out to the public." My heart skipped a beat and I couldn't smack the smile off of my face if I tried. I looked over at Harry and his face held the same expression. We were dumbfounded and thrilled and every positive emotion to ever be felt. 

"Based on your expressions you want to go with number three?" Will asked. 

"Fuck, yes." Harry said, making me laugh. "Are you serious? Like, this is real?" 

"Yes. We thought it would be the best decision. It would cause less problems down the road if we would just nip it in the bud now." Magee said. 

"Is Eleanor allowed to show her stomach off then?" I asked. I didn't want her to be on house arrest because of me. That certainly wasn't fair. 

"We're going to let the rumours circulate, but we will not confirm or deny anything until you two come out. All of you must remain neutral when someone asks about it. If you're in an interview, try to dodge the question. All of this information will be passed on to the rest of the band by four today." Richard replied. "So to answer your question, yes, she can go out as much as she wants now. Hiding is useless." 

"Thank you so much." I said, actually meaning it. 

"Never in a million years did we think that we'd be coming out so soon." Harry added, tears in his eyes. 

"Oh, Harry." I sighed, using my thumb to wipe his eye. He smiled down at me and I bit my lip. 

"I think we've finally realized that keeping you two apart is a major flaw in our system. Sales are an extremely important factor in this business, but so is the wellbeing of our employees. Although not everyone is thrilled about this idea, most of us believe that it will benefit us in the long run. But for now, please don't make anything really obvious. If you break your contract you will have some serious lawsuits haunting you." Will warned. We nodded and accepted the paper that was now in front of us. 

Harry approved the paper before both of us signed it and we handed it back to them. I couldn't believe that Harry and I were going to come out in five months. It was almost too good to be true.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Louis' P.O.V.

It was the beginning of April and the tour was going great. We were on our final show of the South American leg of the tour and then we would be on a six week break. I was certainly looking forward to going home and relaxing, but more importantly, I was excited about planning how Harry and I were going to come out. 

It was going to be onstage, but we weren't sure what song we would do it to. That was what we were currently discussing in our hotel room. 

"Louis, I really think we should do it to Happily. I wrote that song about you before we were even a thing." Harry insisted, sitting on the bed across from me. I shook my head. 

"You and I. It has to be that one, Harry. It's literally our song. I cannot believe you haven't even considered it yet." It blew my mind that Harry was against coming out with our song playing in the background. He basically wrote the bloody thing for me!

"Don't you think the slow song will make the whole thing seem drawn out?" He asked, picking at the duvet. 

"No! It makes perfect sense to use that song." He was so futile sometimes. "We can do it right after the second refrain when you say 'not even the gods above could separate the two of us'. That prolonged period of instrumentals will give us just enough time to do what we need to do then everyone will be happy." Harry stared at me for a minute before slowly nodding his head. 

"You're amazing." He grinned. "How do you always know what to do?"

"It's a gift." I gave him a foolish smile and he jumped off of his bed and came over to me, picking me up bridal-style. 

"You're a twat." He said, beaming down at me. His dimples were so prominant that I had to force myself not to poke them. 

"Your hair is long."

"So is yours."

"It's like we're turning into the same person." He giggled. I raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Soulmates." I whispered dramatically. Harry lost it, dumping me onto the bed. He crawled on top of me then started placing kisses up my neck. "Harry." I whined, moving my hands to his backside. "We need to be at the stadium in like, thirty minutes."

"Just give me like, five, okay?" He moved his lips down to my already-bare chest and I felt him smile against me. "I still think it's funny how we ended up together." 

"Are you going to suck me off or not?" I asked impatiently. He couldn't just imply that he was going to do something then completely neglect it. It wasn't fair. 

"So needy." He moved his head lower, pulling down the waistband of my joggers. Boxers were overrated, so I hadn't put any on. Apparently Harry did not know that small detail, because he looked quite surprised when he saw me waiting for him. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Before I could respond, he had his lips around me and my hips were lifting off of the mattress. 

I dug my fingers into his curls, probably close to ripping his scalp off. 

"Fuck, Harry. So good." I breathed, staring at the ceiling. He moved his tongue against me and I nearly lost it then and there. "Going to make me come early doing that." I said, my voice pained. His movements were excruciatingly slow and I wasn't sure how much I could take. 

After only two minutes of absolute pleasure and torture, Harry's mouth popped off of me as I laid back on the mattress. 

"That was only three minutes. I must be pretty damn good." He said pretentiously. I gave him the middle finger but didn't say a word, my orgasm leaving me breathless. "Hey... I deserve a thank you not a 'fuck you'." He leaned up and kissed my lips before smacking the side of my ass. "Now it's showtime."

~

"Thirty seconds!" Paul yelled. I shrugged on a black muscle tee before running to our designated area behind the stage. "Cameras go on in ten." We nodded and I kissed Harry one last time before going out on stage. 

"Straight off the plane to a new hotel." Harry began, all of us stepping out into the spotlight. The thrill of opening a show in a new city would never die down in my opinion. There were so many things that could go wrong, but there were also so many things that could go surprisingly well. Performing was the only thing that I wanted to do and doing it with the lads was a dream come true.

We dispersed down onto the main stage, Zayn following me, the rest of the boys going in the opposite direction. 

For the first half of the concert Harry and I didn't even look at each other. We weren't sure what to do with our newfound freedom and also weren't sure what exactly was the limit. Apparently Harry wasn't as paranoid as I was because during What Makes You Beautiful he walked by me and smacked my ass. 

I could hear the fans screaming through my earpieces. 

After he did it, I stuck my tongue out at him and he fucking giggled into his microphone. So much for easing the fans into it. If this wasn't considered flirting then I don't know what is. 

The show came to a close and we hurried around backstage, getting ready for the end-of-tour party that was about to take place in the hotel ballroom. We had rented it out specifically for this occasion and I knew that at least one of us would pass out from intoxication. Zayn even brought some weed for the two of us to smoke in the car on the way back to the hotel. 

"Ready, mate?" Zayn came up to me and clapped me on the back. "Got some strong shit this time."

"I'm always ready to get baked, man." I laughed. "Harry can't find out again."

"I'll keep it under wraps, don't worry." He smiled before walking away and going to talk to Caroline, our wardrobe manager. 

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and a small smile tugged at my lips. "Hi, babe." 

"Hello." Harry whispered against my ear. I shuddered, goosebumps forming on my skin. "Shall we celebrate by ourselves after the party? I'm thinking a nice fuck would be a great way to end this leg of the tour... with a bang." My face flushed and I bit back a huge grin. 

"That was a really horrible pun, love." I chuckled. "But that sounds lovely. Maybe you can be on top this time."

"I would love that." He kissed the side of my neck just below my ear and my eyes fluttered shut.

"PDA, Mr. Styles." Lou scolded, walking past us. I heard her mutter "you two are disgustingly adorable" and my heart swelled. Yeah, we were. 

"Okay, so, see you at the party? You know, since we can't ride together and all of that shit." I said, turning around to face my boyfriend. His hair was adorned with a blue scarf and I bit my lip. "Also, wear those things on your head more often. It's like I'm fucking an indie rocker." 

"God, you two. Do you know how many people can hear you?" Niall yelled from across the small dressing room. "Gross." He muttered under his breath. Harry and I scoffed and interlocked our fingers, walking out of the room. 

"Still need to get dressed, don't we?" Harry said, realizing that as we walked down the short hallway. 

"Nah. Casual party, I'm assuming." We walked outside and into the fresh air, our cars waiting for us just outside of the stadium. 

"You riding with Zayn, then?" Harry asked, twirling me around. He treated me like a princess even though I was a grown man and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I decided that I liked it. 

"Yeah. That's alright with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be? I don't think he's going to make a move on you or anything." He joked, pulling me back to his chest. 

"I don't know, Harry. You never know with him." He looked down at me, a sly smirk on his face. "What?" I asked cautiously. 

"I am so glad that you let me kiss you in our living room that one day. If you hadn't, I probably would've died of sexual frustration. Hell, I might die from it right now." He crashed his lips onto mine and I hungrily kissed back, the chemistry between us exploding. Both of us were horny as fuck and I knew that we wouldn't survive the entire party without at least one bathroom blowjob. Maybe two.

I don't know how long we stood there, my hands gripping Harry's waist as he shoved his tongue down my throat. It was almost physically impossible for me to get tired of kissing him or just touching him in general. I was convinced that he was the human form of cocaine. 

He finally pulled away from me, his breathing heavy. "That's the definition of kissing the shit out of each other." He panted, his hand on his chest. "Thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen." 

"I'm glad you didn't, because then your tongue actually would have gone down my throat. Well I guess that depends on which way you fell, you know? However, if you had fallen backwards you most likely would've hit your head and died and then I would never be able to make out with you again." I heaved a sigh after I finished rambling, looking up at Harry. Yes, I had to look up at him. 

"You're insane. Completely mental." He grinned, shaking his head. "And I am so in love with you." 

"Not as in love as I am with you." I paused for a moment. "That didn't make sense."

"It did to me, don't worry." A door slammed shut and I saw the rest of the boys and a couple security guards coming toward us. "Fucking hell." Harry sighed. "See you in ten minutes." He gave me a kiss on the cheek before following Liam, Niall, and a couple guards into an SUV. 

"God, you are whipped." Zayn laughed, getting into the car. I followed him and rolled my eyes. 

"I am not."

"Whatever, mate. We all know that you would do literally anything for Harry. You two are proper cute though, you know?" He pulled out a black case and raised his eyebrows. "Let's get stoned." 

~

We walked through the doors of the ballroom, my head feeling light as a feather. The music wasn't very loud, which sort of surprised me. I had expected nightclub shit going down. There were strobe lights though, so maybe they were just waiting until everyone arrived? 

"Finally." Someone groaned behind me. The voice seemed distant, but when I turned around I bumped into Harry's chest. "What took you two so long?" I watched his lips move and finally processed his words after a couple seconds. 

"Just... Caught in traffic." My eyes focused on his hair, which was no longer in a scarf. He must have taken it off in the car. 

"Are you okay?" He asked, bending down a bit to look in my eyes. I nodded. "Okay..." He eyed me suspiciously. "Come dance with me?" 

"They haven't even got the music loud yet." 

"How much louder can it get?" It was then that I realized that both of us were yelling over the music, people sweaty and grinding around us. Okay, so maybe I was a little high. We had only smoked for about 20 minutes though, so there was no way that I was that baked. 

"You're right. Let's go." I grabbed his hand and weaved through the sea of people. Where the hell did all of these people even come from? Did we really know that many people around here? 

We stopped smack dab in the middle of everyone, my ass immediately connecting with his crotch. We had tried grinding with me in the back before and it just didn't work out. 

Harry's hands found my waist and I placed mine over his, swaying my hips back and forth to the R&B being blasted throughout the room. 

"Do you smell... Spliff?" Harry asked, only a few minutes into our little dance session. My eyes widened and I shook my head. 

"Nope." The people in front of me blurred a bit, a smile forming on my lips. It was sort of like a kaleidoscope. Mesmerized by the blurred objects slowly moving about in front of me, I didn't even hear Harry's questions. He pushed me away then turned me around before staring straight into my eyes. 

"You're fucking high, aren't you?" He spat, grabbing onto my wrists. I furrowed my brow and closed my eyes, shaking my head. I still had a smile on my face and that probably gave it away. Or maybe it was the smell of it on my clothes. 

"Don't lie to me, Louis. You and Zayn smoked on your way here, didn't you?"

"Recorded it if you want to watch." I grinned, reopening my eyes. "Zayn sings in it." Harry dropped my wrist and looked at the floor. 

"Unbelievable." He muttered. 

"Why is it such a big deal, Harry? Come on, lighten up. You need a blunt every once in a while." I snorted. 

"I wouldn't be so pissed about it if you didn't do it every time we had plans! I don't want to fuck you when you're so high you can't see straight!" He fumed. "And what if you're caught? Marijuana isn't legal over here! Sure it is in some of the states, but you're totally fucked here. I'm taking you up to the room." He intertwined our fingers and started pulling us through the crowd. 

"What? No! Harry, I'm fine down here. Yeah, the people are making my head hurt and I sort of feel sick, but I'll be fine. Trust me. Let's just have a few pints and it'll be fine. 'Appy days." I laughed. 

"No, Louis. Not happy days. I want to fucking talk to you." We exited the room and my head stopped spinning a bit at the silence we had entered. "Please, love. Please promise me that you won't smoke on our nights anymore. Don't do it when you could possibly get in trouble for it. I hate looking forward to having a good time with you then having you completely ruin it by fucking yourself up." We sat down against the wall and I scanned the hallway around us. There were only a couple people left outside of the ballroom and they were already drunk. 

"Why do you do it?" He asked calmly. I just shrugged. "There has to be a reason."

I thought for a moment before responding. "The stress goes away, babe. Everything is gone. It's just you and your happy thoughts, nothing else. You should try it sometime." I leaned my head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Harry began rubbing his thumb across the top of my hand and I shut my eyes. 

"I wish I could take every bad thought out of your mind. I love you so much." He kissed my cheek and I felt myself getting tired. "You're falling asleep on me already?" He laughed lightly. "How high are you?" I didn't respond and I heard him get up. "Fuck management. If a fan sees, they can tell the whole world." I didn't know what he was talking about until I felt his arms beneath me. 

He lifted me off of the ground and carried me bridal style to the elevator, my body curling into his broad and muscular chest. My love for him was overflowing and endless. I couldn't even express it through actions. 

My fingers curled around his shirt and the lift dinged, signaling our arrival to the correct floor. I cracked an eye open and it met Harry's jaw, which was tensed and perfect. It was a short walk from the lift to our room and Harry nudged the door open, shutting it with his foot. 

"I'll dress you for bed. Just relax, okay?" I nodded as he set me on the bed, a suitcase opening seconds later. 

"I'm pathetic, aren't I?" I said softly, keeping my eyes shut. The movement in the room stopped, Harry's breath the only thing that I could hear. 

"Of course not, Lou. Why would you say that?"

"I'm so high I can barely function and you just had to carry me back to our room. I'm sorry I'm such a deadbeat, Harry. I really am trying to be a good boyfriend." Harry walked over to me and I opened my eyes, the light stinging them because I was so tired. 

"I've never loved anyone as much as I love you." He said quietly, removing my trousers. "I would do this every day if I had to, as long as I could still kiss you goodnight." My boxers were next, a clean pair almost immediately replacing the old. "You may think that I see this as a chore," he removed my shirt, "but I still love every second that I get to be near you." He pulled back the duvet and I situated myself so I was under the blankets. "You've made me realize that when you love someone, you will do anything to be with them. You will do anything to be able to touch them, or even just hear their voice. Once you love someone, your free will is gone. Your mind focuses more on making them happy and doing what's best for them."

"You're making it sound like I don't love you, considering the fact that I'm always the one to fuck everything up." I muttered. 

"No, Lou, I'm the happiest I've ever been when I'm with you. That's what a person who loves you will do to you. If anything, I'm the one who should be worried. If you aren't happy then I'm obviously not doing something right." Harry sat down on the edge of the bed and put his face in the palms of his hands. "I just don't know what else to do." 

"You don't need to do anything. All of this is my fault, Harry. Don't blame yourself." I felt my eyelids getting heavy again and I knew that I wouldn't be awake for much longer. 

"All that I want is for you to be so content with yourself and your life that you don't rely on drugs to make you feel that way. I'm failing you, Lou. Instead of helping I just stand there and scold you like I'm your mother. I'm so fucking sorry." He sounded close to tears and I slowly locked our pinkies together. 

"I'm going to sleep, babe." I mumbled. "But I love you so fucking much. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." Everything around me started to fade away as my body relaxed into its sleep-mode. 

"I want you for the rest of my life." Was the last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

Harry's P.O.V.

I woke up to Louis' nails literally digging into my chest. His face was pressed against my side, his mouth open slightly.

I checked the clock and saw that it was 12:30. How was he still asleep? He'd been dead for nearly twelve hours. 

Not wanting to wake Louis, I laid in bed and began to lightly run my fingers through his hair. It was only slightly greasy from the previous day but I didn't mind. 

His grip on my torso loosened a bit and his breathing started to become irregular. He shifted under the duvet and opened his eyes, looking up at me with a small smile. 

"Hi." I said softly, still playing with his hair. "You slept for twelve hours."

"Best twelve hours of my life." He said, his voice raspy with sleep. God, his morning voice was enough to make my heart race. His hair was sticking up in random spots, some of it stuck to his forehead. Adorable.

"You need to shower." I said, pulling my hand from his hair. "You're borderline disgusting." 

"You're gross, too. God, why can't you be a girl? They don't get gross like you." He joked, pulling away from me. "Guys are fucking nasty." 

I laughed to myself before reaching over and pulling Louis' back against my chest. "Cuddle with me for two minutes and then you can shower." I shut my eyes and moved my hand to Louis' hip, slowly rubbing circles into it. He sighed and snuggled into me. 

"Do you ever think back to the time when we were best mates and start laughing because now we fuck each other?" Louis said suddenly. I busted out laughing, hiding my face in the back of his neck to conceal it. "Seriously! Like, we had no idea that we would be dating in a year."

"I feel like you think about that a lot." 

"I do, actually. I can honestly remember the first time you made me hard and I knew that I was fucked." My eyes shot open and I stopped the movement on Louis' hip. 

"What?" I heard a sharp intake of breath then a small chuckle followed. 

"You were shirtless backstage during the Take Me Home Tour..." He said, trying to sound innocent. "I swear to god I thought I was going to have to leave the room. It was right after a show so you were sweaty and hot and, Christ, you were doing that stupid 'grind on me' thing. I thought that your back muscles shouldn't look that good and then I started imagining you doing that to me and I started getting worked up. I cannot believe that I'm telling you all of this." He laughed before continuing. I was just staring at the back of his head in disbelief. After all this time? "Anyway, that was when you thought that I hated you. It's funny because I'm pretty sure I went back to my hotel room and wanked to the thought of you." 

I grinned against the back of his neck and started laughing. 

"So, is that one of your fantasies? Me sweaty and grinding on you? I can make that happen, you know." Louis tensed under me and I mentally applauded myself for making him aroused so early in the morning. I moved closer to his ear and lowered my voice. "My fantasy has already become reality, now it's your turn." He gulped and I pressed myself even further against him. 

"Harry-" His voice cut off when I moved my hand on top of his boxers. 

"You're almost hard, Lou. Already? That's seriously all it takes? I might have to do this more often, then." I was already shirtless, boxers being the only article of clothing on me. What a great way to start a round of sex. 

I shifted my body so that I was on top of Louis, my hands on either side of his shoulders. 

"Are we about to fuck?" Louis asked casually. I nodded before moving my lips to the side of his neck and slowly kissing up it. "I'm not a bottom, Harry." He said, his voice strained from my gestures. I removed my lips from his skin and stared down at him. 

"You are today." He was about to protest but I locked my lips onto his, the feeling never getting old. I could kiss him a million times and still feel the exact same spark between us. 

I remembered that everything was still in my suitcase and I groaned, removing myself from Louis.

"Hey, you can't leave me hanging like that. It's not fair." He said angrily. 

"Shut up, Lou. I'm getting stuff." I unzipped my luggage and dug around until I found the bottle of lube and box of condoms. I grabbed each before striding back to the bed and straddling Louis' lap. "Hmm... Have fun having a dick up your ass. I bet you're so fucking tight." 

"You really are a smooth-talker, you know that, right?" He joked. I rubbed my dick against his, our boxers being the only things between us, and his face paled. "Just take the fucking boxers off." He said thickly. I nodded and slid my boxers down my legs, kicking them onto the floor. 

After Louis had done the same, I repositioned myself on top of him and opened up a condom packet, throwing the box back onto the bed next to us. 

"I'm going to guess that this is sort of like fucking a girl only you can't get pregnant?" I asked, sliding the condom on. 

"You could say that." He countered, eyeing my hand moving back and forth along my shaft. "Jesus fuck, Harry, are you going to fuck me or not?" I grinned and opened the bottle of lube, spreading some of the gel onto my fingers and now throbbing erection. 

"I'm going to fuck you so hard that you can't walk." I slid two fingers inside of him and his back arched slightly, his eyes squeezing shut. My lips moved to his jawline as I moved my fingers around, trying to loosen him up a bit. 

"Feels so good." He moaned, his body tense. 

"Relax, love. Tell me if it starts to hurt." I moved my lips to his chest and kissed down it before running my tongue back up it. "Muscles." I murmured against his skin, goosebumps forming shortly after. I must have moved my finger a certain way because Louis' body jerked a bit, his chest colliding with my nose. 

"Again. Please." He begged. I smirked then repeated the movement, his body moving in an almost identical way as the first time. 

"Want to feel you around me. It'll be so good." I mumbled against his neck, placing kisses up and down it. I nipped at the skin at the base of his neck and a groan formed in the back of his throat. 

"Just fuck me, Harry." He breathed, obviously ready for what was to come. 

I removed my fingers from him before placing myself to enter him. My lips hovering over his, I slowly pushed myself into him, him biting his lip in response. 

"You okay?" I asked, trying not to hurt my fragile-looking boyfriend. He nodded and I pushed in all the way, his eyes popping open once I did. "I love you." I mumbled, pressing kisses on the sides of his mouth. 

After a couple minutes, Louis nodded as a signal for me to start actually fucking him. I pulled out of him and kneeled on either side of his legs. 

"What are you doing?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. 

"Hands and knees. Now." I commanded. He looked taken aback but followed my orders, quickly adjusting his body. He barely had time to breathe before I re-entered him, maybe a little harder than intended. A small gasp left his mouth and he clung onto the duvet as I quickly thrusted into him. "So fucking tight." I groaned, my fingertips digging into his hips. 

There would surely be bruises there within the hour. 

I moved my mouth to the side of his neck and sloppily kissed it, sucking on the skin. My thrusting became faster and the people in the room next to us could surely hear this by now. Louis' rough breathing and our skin hitting together were the only sounds filling the room, turning me on even more. Every inch of him was beautiful and I couldn't get enough.

I moved one of my hands down to Louis' dick and quickly pumped, making his entire body tense up. 

"You're so fucking good." He groaned, nearly melting beneath me. I smirked then began to slow my pace, both inside and outside of him. He sucked in a breath as took the skin below his ear between my teeth. Making sure it would leave a mark, I removed my lips from his neck then kissed the back of his head. 

Being taller than him made this entire position a lot easier.

I began to enter him much harder, once again, and he cried out at one point. "Fucking hell, Harry. Do it again." He panted, clinging onto the comforter. I hit the same spot and he tensed beneath me. 

Soon enough, Louis was coming undone, surely soiling the duvet as he did. He would've collapsed under me had I not been holding him up by his hips. 

I felt the familiar fuzziness in my lower abdomen and I shortly reached my high, my body falling onto Louis' bare back. We laid there in a heap of sweat and pleasure for no longer than a minute before someone was knocking on the door. 

"The plane leaves in an hour! What the fuck are you two doing?" Zayn yelled from the hall. Both of us grunted.

"I forgot about that." Louis said, his breath still not fully there. Now really wasn't a good time for Zayn to be barging in.

I assumed that he would leave, but he didn't. "Open the door." He said loudly. 

"Fuck, where are my boxers." I mumbled, sitting up and discarding the used condom. 

"Floor." Louis muttered, his face buried in a pillow. 

"I'm coming in." Zayn said, apparently having our spare room key with him. We really needed to stop sharing keys.

"No!" Louis and I yelled at the same time. The door was barely cracked when we said it, but quickly slammed shut. We looked at each other before bursting out laughing. 

"Poor guy would've been scarred for life." Louis laughed quietly. 

I pulled up my boxers as Zayn said something about us being "lovesick horndogs". I walked over to the door and opened it to find him with an annoyed expression on his face. 

"We're coming, okay?" I said, rolling my eyes. 

"We just did, anyway." Louis snickered from the bathroom. Zayn must have heard him because his face flushed. 

"Just... Just be downstairs in ten minutes." He said, only slightly uneasy. He was probably used to us fucking by now, considering we'd been together for nearly seven months.

"You should know better than to barge into our room, dumbass." I grinned. "If we don't answer do not come in." 

"I figured you were still asleep, considering Louis was so fucking baked last night." He laughed, running his fingers over the stubble on his jaw. "How did that go, by the way? I heard you carried him back to the room. That's fucking hilarious." 

"He fell asleep like two minutes after we got back to the room." I stepped into the hall, not caring that I was only in my boxers. "Look. I don't care that you two smoke- actually, I sort of do- but the point is, don't let him get so high that he can't even keep his eyes open. He does it to get away from everything and that's better than drinking or something like that, but please don't encourage him to get completely baked." 

I wanted Louis to be able to come to me instead of smoking to clear his head. He should know that I would always listen to him, even if he was ranting about what a terrible boyfriend I was. The idea of him being so stressed that he had to avoid time with me to feel okay again hurt me more than he knew. Maybe I was just being possessive, but I wanted Louis to trust me with everything that was bothering him. 

"Harry, I'm sorry." Zayn said, his face falling. "I do it because it's fun and I know that Louis has other reasons, but just let him let loose every once in a while. He's under a lot of pressure right now and he doesn't know how to deal with it. He'll figure it out sooner or later, but as of right now just let him do what works best. He'll go mad if doesn't." I bit my bottom lip and nodded. "Okay?" Zayn asked.

"Yeah, I understand." I paused. "I just love him so much, Zayn, you know? If he gets hurt somehow, I don't know what I'd do."

"It's just marijuana, Harry. It's not heroin." Zayn laughed. I stared at him coldly, his laugh slowly fading. "Okay." 

"I suppose I should go get ready." I said, trying to change the subject. 

"Yeah, if we miss our flight I'm going to be pissed." 

"Boo hoo." I said dryly. "We'll be down soon." 

"Sounds good." We parted ways and I swore when I remembered that I hadn't brought a key out with me. I looked over to Zayn but the elevator doors were already closing, of course. 

I probably looked like an idiot standing out in the hall without any clothes on and I silently prayed that no fans were roaming around the hotel. That would be extremely embarrassing. 

I knocked on the door and waited for Louis to answer it, but he didn't. 

"Lou, I swear to god if you don't open this door I'm never touching you again." I heard a laugh on the other side of the door and groaned. Of course he thought this was funny. "You aren't going to be able to walk within the hour, so I'd suggest you be nice to me now and maybe I'll carry you everywhere when you're hurting." 

"My ass is already numb, Harry. The damage is done." I leaned my head against the door and smiled. 

"Please just open the door." I sighed.

"Do you have come on you?" Louis laughed, and pretty hard I might add. I looked down at myself and shook my head as if he could see me. 

"No? I'm not going to talk to Zayn with come all over me, do you think I was raised in the jungle?" Someone walked out of the elevator and I froze. Why was our room next to that thing? 

I hesitantly turned my head and my stomach dropped when I saw a girl who was probably seventeen staring at me, her mouth agape. 

"Open the door." I said, trying not to sound frantic. 

"Locked out?" The girl laughed, taking a step toward me. Her eyes skimmed my torso and my cheeks flushed. This was bad. 

"Yeah, uh, they won't let me in." I said, trying not to mention that my boyfriend was an absolute dick. 

"Is there a fan out there with you?" Louis said, almost sounding excited. "This is too fucking good." The girl's eyes widened then she looked up and down my body again, piecing everything together. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Louis?" She questioned. I just stared at her, trying to figure out how to cover this up. 

"I can't wait to tell the guys about this." Louis chuckled from the room. I pounded my fist on the door, trying to tell him to just shut the fuck up already, but I don't think he got the memo. 

"So you're in your underwear banging on Louis' door because..." She crossed her arms and I sighed. There was no way I was getting out of this one. 

"Because he's a fucking asshole who won't open the door when I want him to." I growled, banging on the door again. He laughed and I scowled. 

"Do you two room together?" She asked, a smirk on her face. This was going to end badly. 

"Uh... Yeah." I groaned at myself for releasing so much information to this girl whose name I still did not know. "What's your name. Can I just like take a picture and you'll leave? Not to sound mean. That was rude, I'm sorry." I pinched the bridge of my nose and she just laughed. 

"It's fine. You're already pissed at your boyfriend anyway. I understand. My name is Julia, by the way." My eyes shot open and I started shaking my head. Louis 'ooh-ed' and I made a mental note to brutally murder him for putting me in this situation in the first place. 

"W-we aren't dating." I said, still shaking my head. She gave me a knowing look and I bit my lip. "How old are you?"

"18." I was only a year off. 

"Look, I'll take a picture and follow you on Twitter and do literally anything for you if you never mention this to anyone. We can't afford to have anymore rumors going around about us. If we do, things will be ruined and I will probably end up as a drug addict." She stared at me with an amused expression and shook her head. 

"So you two are dating. I knew it." I sighed and slumped against the door in defeat. 

"Louis just open the fucking door. Are you happy now?" I heard the handle jiggle and I nearly fell over when the door opened, Louis coming into view. He was wearing a red hoodie and black sweatpants, his Vans on his feet. He must have taken a shower. 

"Hi." He said cheerfully, keeping his foot between the door and the wall so we wouldn't be locked out. 

"Hello." Julia said, grinning. 

"American accent... Tourist or do you actually live here?" He asked. I tried to go inside the room but he blocked the entrance with his arm. 

"I live here. My parents thought it would be a 'cool experience'. It isn't, but whatever." This girl was actually pretty calm compared to some of our other fans. Maybe I didn't have anything to worry about. 

"So... Why are you in a hotel then?" Louis asked, still holding me back from the room. 

"We live like three hours away. I came to see you guys, so, yeah." She rocked on the balls of her feet and I could only imagine how awkward this was for her. 

"Was it good?" Louis asked, stalling. 

"Loved it." She beamed. "I heard you two are dating?" 

Louis looked down at me, a wicked grin on his features. "Now who in the world told you that?" He asked, even though he knew who the fuck told her that. I hated him. 

"Let me inside." I whispered, shoving his arm. He didn't budge. "I hate you."

"Love you too, babe." He said, his eyes widening a bit when he remembered the fan standing in front of us. "Yeah, uh, you aren't going to tell anyone about this, are you?" He asked, facing Julia. 

"I don't have to." She shrugged. "Don't really want to ruin your lives, so, no. I won't." I sighed in relief, Louis doing the same. "One more slip and you can't be together at all I'm assuming?" 

"Yeah, basically." I said, finally contributing to the conversation. 

"I won't tell. However, I do want a picture with you two. Harry, I want a full body one with you." She said, biting her lip. Of course.

"Fine, yeah, whatever you want." I would probably do anything in order for her to not spread this around. 

We took the pictures, which were only slightly awkward, then said goodbye to Julia. She really wasn't that bad, to be honest. The whole situation probably would've been better if I had been wearing clothes. 

We walked back into the room and I slammed the door behind me. Louis took off for the bathroom, but I grabbed him by his hood. 

"You are a fucking dick." I spat, pulling him closer to me. "We could've ruined everything."

"That was the best ten minutes of my life." He grinned. I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous this entire morning had been. 

"I love you so much that I hate you." I chuckled, letting go of his hoodie. 

"The feeling is mutual, trust me. Now go get dressed. Your bulge is taunting me." I rolled my eyes and went to my suitcase to find something to wear on the plane home. "When we get home I want you to come over to Eleanor's. We need to set up the nursery and everything." 

"Nursery?" I asked, putting on a white t-shirt. "The house is only two bedrooms." 

"I'm giving up my room. Moving back in with you, actually." I dropped the pair of jeans that I was holding, my expression blank. 

"What?"

"I'm moving back in with you. No one will know, so why not? Management isn't against it." He shrugged. 

"You're serious?" 

"Why wouldn't I be?"

I walked over to him and crushed him in a hug, literally kissing him all over his face. "I'm so in love with you." I said between kisses. He pushed at my chest, making a disgusted face. 

"Okay, yeah, I know. I just washed my face, love." He laughed. 

"Things are getting better." I smiled, stepping back a bit.

"See? Nothing can come between you and I."


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

Louis' P.O.V.

We had been home for three weeks now and, surprisingly, things were going pretty well. Harry and I hadn't been decimated for moving in together and Eleanor looked like she was about to pop. 

The three of us had basically become a trio when there were group outings or interviews concerning all of us. Harry reluctantly gave in at first when I asked him to befriend Eleanor, but he soon realized that she really wasn't as terrible as he'd thought she was.

I had texted Stan upon our arrival and told him that he needed to meet Eleanor as soon as possible and he was at her doorstop within the next four hours. They had actually hit it off pretty well so I was pleased with my matchmaking skills. 

Now, they weren't dating or anything, but Stan wasn't bothered by the fact that she had some other guy's child inside of her. He was actually sort of excited about the whole baby thing. Maybe he wasn't exactly dad material, but I figured that this would be good for both of them.

Today we were over at Eleanor's because we had finally gotten around to decorating Levi's nursery. We were supposed to do it when we got back from South America, but that plan sort of fizzled out on its own after Harry and I didn't leave our house for two weeks. To make a long story short, we basically christened the entire home.

Again.

But now that we had all of that out of our systems, we could finally go out and do things without itching for a half-assed bathroom hand job or something of the sort. Although they were nice, they weren't exactly common courtesy. 

"Where does this even go?" Harry asked, confused. He held up a long white board and I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out its place in the room.

"I think that's the top of the back of the crib." 

"What?" 

"You know, the top of one of the sides of it." I walked over to him and grabbed it then compared it to what was on the instructions. "Yeah, we don't need it yet. We still need all of the sides."

"Well excuse me." He said, pretending to be offended. The small smile on his face gave away his amusement though.

"Just start on the sides, okay?" I sighed, my smile mirroring his. 

"Only because I love you, even when you're being a bossy pants." He grabbed a smaller piece of wood then looked at the instructions before placing it in the correct spot. "How are you so good at putting things together and all of that?" 

I watched him screw something into the half-built crib and I shrugged. I'd never really thought of myself as a handyman. I was just used to helping my sisters put a ton of pointless shit together. 

"People do tell us that you're the woman in this relationship." I said nonchalantly, staring up at the ceiling. He slowly turned around, his eyes narrowed. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure I have a dick, too." 

"Yeah, but you're still pretty feminine." I was avoiding eye contact at all costs because I knew how Harry got when I started joking around like this. You could never tell if he was seriously offended or if he was just joking, but I never actually wanted to find out which one it was. 

He stood up and put his hands on his hips, scowling. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

I raised my eyebrows and nodded to his hips. He looked down and bit his lip before quickly removing his hands from his sides. 

"Okay, fine. Maybe I'm a little feminine. However, I will never let you live down 2011 you. I'm actually kind of surprised that you didn't grow a vagina that year." My mouth fell open and I crossed my arms. 

"I was confused!" I defended, lightly stomping my foot. "That's in the past!" 

"What the hell are you two doing in here?" Eleanor asked, basically waddling into the room. Stan was behind her and he looked concerned. "It sounds like you're fighting." 

I gave Harry the evil eye before turning back to Eleanor. 

"Which one of us is more feminine?" I challenged, looking between Eleanor and Stan expectantly. Both of them looked back and forth between us before looking at each other and shrugging. Out of all of the possible things we could have been fighting about when they came in, it just had to be that topic.

"I don't know, Lou." Stan began. "Both of you are pretty effeminate." My brow furrowed and I looked over at Harry who was now laughing. "But I'd have to go with Harry." He stopped laughing and crossed his arms, his expression the one he gets when he's about to protest against something.

"Have you seen these biceps?" He asked, flexing like a fucking douchebag. Although it was a nice view, now was not the time to become turned on. We were arguing and I refused to show weakness while we did so.

"I think Louis is pretty flamboyant, to be honest." Eleanor spoke up. "You do that thing with your hand that screams homosexual." She brought her hand up to her mouth and stifled a laugh. 

"That was rude and uncalled for. You can exit the room now." I said flatly. She waved me off and left the nursery, Stan in tow. I turned back to Harry and a smile formed on my lips. "We're equally as gay, Harry. What the fuck." 

"We aren't entirely gay, actually. I still like boobs, you know." 

"Just put the fucking crib together." I said under my breath, shaking my head. Our relationship was so fucked up.

~

I folded one last onesie and placed it in its drawer before lightly hitting Harry's arm. 

"We finally finished this thing." I grinned, stepping back to admire our work. Harry and I had basically put together the entire thing, Gemma coming over to paint once we had the major pieces of furniture built. It had only taken three days, so it was most likely a world record. Well, at least for two men to be doing it anyway. 

"It actually doesn't look that bad." Harry said, impressed. 

The walls were a darkish gray, going perfectly with the dark wood floors. All of the furntiure was white wood, the bedding blue, black, and white stripes. On the walls we had hung up a black and white city-scape and one of our tour posters was framed. The poster was a surprise (also a joke) so Eleanor would most likely laugh but take it down shortly after. 

Eleanor had bought that child so many clothes that he wouldn't have to worry about having nothing to wear for a good five years. Unfortunately, Harry had talked me into putting away all of the clothes that she had bought and I insisted that there were labor laws against stuff like that. He didn't take the bait and we ended up filling up an entire six-drawer dresser with tiny clothes. 

Before we had even started doing the nursery, Harry and I had shopped online for some things for Levi. We purchased a tiny black 'One Direction' shirt for him and also bought him Vans identical to my black ones. There would undoubtedly be more gifts to come, but we didn't know what else to get at the time. Another gift we had gotten was at least ten boxes of diapers, considering newborn babies shit like fucking rabbits.

"Do you think we'll ever have our own nursery?" Harry asked, ripping me away from my thoughts. My heart swelled at the idea of having a family with Harry. Images of Harry with a sleeping baby on his chest crossed my mind and I smiled lazily. 

"Hopefully."

"I want a girl." He said quietly, almost as if he were afraid of my reaction. We had never really discussed children before, so neither of us were sure how touchy the topic would be. "I've wanted a girl for as long as I can remember."

I laced my fingers between his and squeezed his hand tightly. 

"So have I." I turned to look at Harry and I saw that he was already staring at me. Without another word, both of us leaned in for a kiss. His hand moved my to chest, my hand going to his lower back. After a couple seconds, we broke away from the kiss and I leaned my forehead against his, smiling. "Two boy band members thinking about having a child together. Now that's a headliner." 

Harry chuckled and placed a kiss on the tip of my nose before pulling away from me. 

"We should probably call Eleanor in here before we fornicate in her unborn child's bedroom." 

"You're filthy." I laughed, leaning against the dresser. 

"You know you love it." He smirked, leaning toward me. God I wanted to fuck him.

"Hey, Stalin!" I yelled, referring to Eleanor. "Come look at the work we've done for you!" Harry snorted from laughing so hard and Eleanor walked into the room, an annoyed expression on her face. 

"Stalin? Really, Louis?" She put her hands on her hips and examined the room, her expression changing into a happier one. "Wow. I didn't think you two could actually pull it off. I'm impressed." Her eyes landed on the poster and she started laughing. "Nice touch." 

"We put your twelve hundred boxes of diapers in the closet because there wasn't anywhere else to put them." Harry said, motioning toward the closet door. "And we put all of Levi's clothes in the drawers of this monster." His hand slapped onto the top of the dresser, making me jump. "Sorry, love." 

I rolled my eyes then looked over at Eleanor. "So you like it?" 

"It's wonderful, really." She said, grinning. "I can't believe I'm having a baby." I knew that voice. She was about to cry. Her insane pregnancy hormones made her cry like a toddler and I never knew what to do when it happened. "You guys are making this so much easier than I thought it would be. I love you two." Her eyes became glossy and she walked over to us, giving us individual hugs. 

"Anything to make your life easier." I smiled. "You did pretend to date me for seven months. I don't really know how to repay you for that one." 

"I'm just glad that everything's working out bewteen you two. My eyes won't be dry the day you two can finally hold hands in public, trust me. Management said I'm going to your 'coming out' concert and I can't wait. Your plan sounds brilliant." 

"We're just hoping that there isn't a massacre that takes place afterward." Harry joked, rubbing my lower back. I practically melted into his touch, not even trying to keep my composure. 

"Your fans already love you two, so I wouldn't worry about that." She assured. "Just go through with your plan and you'll be fine." 

"I hope that's how it goes." Harry said lowly, his fingers bunching up the bottom of my shirt. 

"Me too."

~

We had only been home for twenty minutes before both of us had started complaining about starvation, so Harry was currently making some kind of chicken with homemade mash on the side. I'd attempted to make it back during the X Factor days, but had failed miserably. That was really the main reason why Harry has always done all of the cooking. 

I was sat at our kitchen island, my laptop in front of me. Twitter was going crazy because Harry and I had been spotted together outside of our apartment so, naturally, I monitored what the fans were saying about us.

"Magee and all of them aren't going to assassinate us, are they?" I asked nervously, scrolling down my timeline. The last thing we needed was management to be even more upset with us. The thing is, Harry and I looked completely pissed off in the picture.

I wasn't completely sure how that had happened, but it did. Thank god we weren't flirting with each other because we most likely would've gotten 'the call' by now if we had been. 

"Nah, we look like we hate each other in that picture. We come out in three weeks, Lou. Remember how they wanted to 'ease fans into it'?" He scraped chicken around in a skillet and I swallowed thickly. 

"You don't think they'll mention it? Twitter is unbelievable right now. You should see the trends." I clicked on one hashtag that said '#larrydontbreaklousbed' and laughed out loud at one of the tweets.

"I still remember that one trend in 2012 about me giving you a white Christmas." He turned around and smirked at me, wiggling his eyebrows. "That was a good trend."

"I was enraged by that one, actually." I let out a single laugh and ran my hand through my hair. "I had just realized that I was into you. Well, beginning to be into you anyway. So basically, I really wouldn't have cared if you had given me a white Christmas."

Harry let out a really loud laugh and quickly covered his mouth. "I think you'll have plenty of white Christmases to come, Lou." He grinned at his pun and I shook my head. "I didn't even mean for that pun to happen."

"Disgusting." I muttered before closing my laptop. 

"Hey... The chicken's done." He turned off the burner then grabbed a plate, setting a large piece of chicken on it. He slapped down some mash on the side before sliding the plate in front of me. "I hope it's not dry. I really do wish we had a grill here. Maybe we can drive over to Niall's and use his. He surely wouldn't mind us breaking in, would he?" He grabbed himself a plate and sat down next to me.

"You smell really good." I commented, leaning into him. "And you're warm. And hard." I removed my head from his bony shoulder and continued eating my dinner.

"Actually I'm kind of soft right now." His hand moved down to the crotch of his pants and I rolled my eyes. 

"Not everything is about your cock, Harry. Get over yourself."

"I love it when you talk dirty." He looked at me from the corner of his eye and beamed. "Makes me feel like a man."

"I'm sure that's the only thing that does that, too." I fired back. He stopped chewing his food and stared at me, looking quite offended to be honest. 

"Care to compare muscles, love?" He had set his fork down by now, his hands on his knees. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"You're a tool." 

"You're mean."

"You're a dork."

"You're disgustingly adorable."

"Not nearly as adorable as you." I swallowed the chicken in my mouth and Harry did too, both of us gazing at each other for only a couple seconds before our lips collided. God, I swear we acted like horny teenagers sometimes. The amount of self control that we had around each other was embarrassingly nonexistent. 

I pulled away from Harry's face and started laughing. "Harry Styles, we are not even halfway through our first date yet. Don't you know anything about chivalry?" He ran a hand through his curls, the simper on his features so large that his dimples showed. 

"Yes, but unfortunately I was also planning to fuck you on the first date, so the whole 'chivalry' thing is sort of a lost cause." 

I tapped the counter while biting my lip as an attempt to hide the grin forcing its way onto my face. 

"I suppose we can put aside being deferential for one night..." 

"Hurry up and eat your fucking chicken, then."


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Louis' P.O.V.

"Well, boys. I think that's it." Magee folded his hands in front of him as mine and Harry's sweaty hands fumbled around under the table. We were nothing but nervous wrecks and we had every right to be.

Today was the day.

We would either be ridiculed or adored; there was really no in-between. Our fans would either drop us completely or continue supporting us. Our lives would be changed forever, but it was definitely for the better. 

It was May 30th and the past month had flown by. Neither Harry nor I were fully ready for what was to come, but it was now or never. 

"Good luck, you two. Cheers to a life of freedom, now." Will tipped his head to us and we both sat there sort of dazed, the entire day seeming surreal. 

We were allowed to kiss in public after today. 

"We can do whatever we want together after the concert?" Harry spoke up, his voice trembling slightly. We had been afraid to ask any questions, thinking that management would revoke our privileges if we were to go too far. However, we had signed a contract to basically be free, so they couldn't really do anything else to us. It was better to be safe than sorry though. 

"Whatever you want." Richard repeated, smiling. "This is the first time someone has come out while still under our label. You two are making history here." He tapped his pen against the table and the sound echoed through the nearly silent room. 

"You two aren't as excited as we'd imagined. Is something wrong?" Will asked, observing our features. Harry and I looked at each other and shrugged.

"Just a little nervous, I guess." I countered. 

"And shocked." Harry added. "Didn't think this day would ever come. Now that it's here we aren't really sure of what to do." He chuckled lightly and drummed his long fingers against my thigh. 

"Just remember that more than half of your fans already 'ship' you two." Magee said, using air quotes. "I really don't think you'll lose that many, to be quite honest. The ones that you do lose will be much younger than the majority of your fans."

"Since when are you so optimistic about this?" I asked suddenly. Magee's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before he slowly nodded. "You called us animals when we came out, if I do recall correctly. Now you're acting like you're okay with everything?" 

"Louis." Harry warned.

"Harry, you can't sit there and not laugh at the man. He hated us. You had to hold me back from punching him for God's sake!" I laughed, sitting back in my seat. Magee looked defeated and the other two men just looked at him. 

"Animals?" Will asked, bewildered. "They're human beings." 

"Okay, just leave him alone." Harry said calmly. "It's in the past. We're coming out now and he's okay with it, so just let it go." My jaw dropped and I stared at him, wondering where the hell the defensive side of him had gone. He was usually the one to back me up at times like this. 

"You're seriously going to let it go? He humiliated us!" I replied, sitting up straighter. 

"Look, whatever Magee said to you two was obviously derogatory and uncalled for. However, I believe that we should agree with Harry and just move on considering Magee has as well." Richard said sternly. "You can hold a grudge if you'd like, but it would only affect you." I scowled and rolled my eyes, not wanting to agree to any of this anymore. 

"I'm sorry about that, boys. I was obviously taken aback because we've only had one other gay client before." Magee said.

"We're bisexual." I threw in. If he was going to apologize I wanted him to do it correctly. He ignored my side comment and kept going. 

"Now I certainly see that you two are much happier together than with a woman. Harry, you and Kendall were probably the most awkward couple I have ever seen. That was a horrible idea." He laughed. 

"Disgusting." Harry grinned. Why were they friends now?

"It was clear that you two wouldn't be changing your minds anytime soon and I realized that you two really are in love. I'm sorry that I was so blind when you came to see me for the first time." 

"I don't know about Lou, but I've forgiven you already." Harry shot me a look and I glared at him. "I think he will too at some point, won't you, love?"

"Probably not, but you never know." I grumbled. 

"I can live with that." Magee said. "I certainly hope that everything works out with you two after this."

"Thanks." Harry and I said at the same time. Our tones of voice didn't match at all.

"Okay. So, I think we're done here, then." Richard said, sounding relieved that our arguement was finished. "Good luck to you two." Harry and I thanked him and stood up and shook all of their hands before exiting the meeting room. 

I extended my hand out for Harry to take and he gladly did, giving it a squeeze. 

"You're so difficult, you know that, right?" He smiled, pushing the button on the elevator. 

"I think I have to be. Sort of my label, isn't it?" 

"Not necessarily." The doors opened and we stepped in before I pressed the button for the ground level. The doors closed before we spoke again. "You can give yourself whatever label you want."

"You're stupid." Why was he always so philosophical? It made my head hurt. 

"You're just mad because you know that I'm right." 

"Of course I am. You're always right." I pointed out. "Except for the time when you said that Zayn liked guys. I asked him and he said that he didn't." The doors opened and we dropped each other's hand before stepping into the lobby. Our flight for Manchester was leaving in thirty minutes and we really needed to get moving. It was already one in the afternoon and our concert was at seven.

"You asked him?" Harry exclaimed, looking worried. "I never said that it was true! I just figured he did." I started laughing and didn't stop until we exited the building. 

"Well, the deed is done. We now know that Zayn Malik doesn't like dick." Harry snorted and unlocked his car, both of us climbing in. 

"I can't believe you asked him. What did he do?" He pulled out of the parking lot and I responded. 

"He kind of fish-mouthed for a moment before he went only slightly ballistic. His exact words were, 'no! Why the hell would you think that?'. Pretty promising stuff, innit?" Harry laughed out loud, his hand flying up to cover his mouth. 

"That sounds familiar." He grinned. 

"What, you're saying that Zayn is in denial, too?" It honestly wouldn't surprise me if Zayn happened to be bisexual as well. I mean look at him. 

"You never know with guys like him, Lou. If they're obsessed with their clothes then there's a pretty good chance that they like dick up their ass every once in a while." 

"You're raunchy." 

"Yeah, well, you're stuck with me. Get used to it." 

That was the problem. I had gotten used to Harry so long ago that if I ever woke up without him next to me, my life would basically be over. 

~

"You guys look deathly ill." Liam commented, sitting down on the couch across from Harry and I. "Tonight's going to go great, okay? Don't overthink it." We stared at him like we was breathing fire and he held his hands up as if he were innocent. "Fine. Don't accept my condolences."

"Thank you, Liam, but I don't think you understand. People are going to hate us." Harry said seriously. "It's kind of hard to be chipper when you're about to announce your relationship with your bandmate to the world, you know?" I moved my hand on top of his and sunk my fingers between his, his face softening a bit once I did. 

"Not as many people will hate you as you think. According to the things I've seen on Twitter lately, you two are their favorite couple to exist." Liam smiled. "They have no idea that you're a real thing though." 

Our fans had 'shipped' us from the beginning and now they were certainly in for a surprise. Our lives were going to be hell for the next couple weeks. 

Before we could respond, Eleanor walked into the dressing room, her gigantic stomach the only thing that was really noticeable. 

"Eleanor!" I exclaimed, a smile worming its way onto my features. I stood up to hug her and she reciprocated. "Hi, Levi." I patted her stomach and she grinned. "Come sit down." 

"Actually, I just came in here to tell you two that I'm rooting for you." She motioned to Harry and he beamed. "Levi and I wish you good luck!"

"Thank you." We said happily. 

"Where are you sitting?" Niall asked. Apparently he and Zayn had paused their FIFA game, finally. 

"Oh, you won't be able to see me. It's in some box between the lower and upper bowls. Don't want fans bumping into me, apparently." She laughed. 

"Can't imagine why." Zayn joked leaning over the back of his chair. 

"Strange, isn't it?" She simpered, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Anyway, I'll leave you guys alone. You look worried sick." 

"See! I told you." Liam shook his head, scowling.

"We never said you were wrong, Liam." I scoffed, crossing my arms. Liam always had to get his point across and, quite frankly, it annoyed the shit out of me. People knew that we bickered a lot and, sure, we didn't hate each other or anything. Our personalities just clashed immensely. 

"I should probably get out there. You guys are on in ten, right?" 

"Fuck." Harry said under his breath. I sat down next to him again and put my hand on his back as an attempt to calm him down. 

"You two will be fine." Eleanor assured us. "Your fans love you and we love you. If they don't like two men being in a relationship then they can go fuck themselves." Liam and Zayn gasped and Eleanor giggled. "What?"

"Here we were thinking you were a dainty little thing." Zayn said. "Now you're swearing like a sailor."

"Don't let her looks fool you. She's disgusting when you live with her." I grinned. Eleanor waved me off and turned around to leave the room. 

"Bye, boys." She said, trying to sound annoyed. It was obvious that she thought we were hilarious though. Who wouldn't?

We said goodbye and once the door clicked shut, Harry's head was resting in my lap. 

"Lou, I can't do this." He said softly. "Too many people. Too much pressure." My fingers ran through his hair and I felt bad. He had been so keen on the idea of the two of us coming out for so long and now it's like the roles were reversed. 

"Remember how badly you wanted to come out when we first got together?" I asked. 

"Yeah, but I didn't think that it would actually happen." Someone's camera went off and both of our heads shot up to find Liam grinning like an idiot.

"I'm sorry. I had to do it. You two look adorable right now." 

"What are you going to do with that?" Harry asked, his face buried in my thigh once again. 

"Probably tweet it later. Maybe Instagram. Probably send it to you two as well." He shrugged. The fans would most likely praise Liam until he died if he posted that anywhere. 

"Fucker." I grumbled, laying my head back on the couch. 

The door to the dressing room opened again and Lou came bounding through the doorway, a basket of hair shit in the crook of her arm. 

"Last minute styling!" She cheered. She looked over at Harry and I and her shoulders sagged. "Really? You're mussing up his hair, Louis." My fingers stop moving and Harry groaned in protest. 

"Louise, I really don't think my hair is our top priority tonight." Harry said, laughing against my leg. 

"You need to look good every night. It's my job. Now come over here so you'll look presentable." 

~

"Straight off the plane to a new hotel." Harry said the line he had repeated so many times before, only tonight it sounded so much different. The cameras focused on us as we trotted down the stage, the fans screaming at our arrival. 

The first few songs went fine. No one messed up, no one fell down, everything was going great. 

When we got to 'Don't Forget Where You Belong' though, Harry's voice started to get shaky. He was almost too nervous to perform and that made me sick. I wanted nothing more than to walk across the stage and hug him. 

During Liam's part in 'Live While We're Young', Niall came over to me looking very concerned. 

"You look worried." He said loudly so that I could hear him over the blaring music. 

"Harry's a mess. I don't know what to do because he needs me and I can't go over to him." I averted my gaze back to Harry and he was fumbling with one of the buttons on his shirt. 

"Go over there. You've honestly got nothing to lose, man." He slapped me on the back before returning to the song as it was now to the chorus. 

Once it was Zayn's part again I made my way across the stage before latching my hand onto Harry's bicep. 

"Love." I said in his ear. He turned to face me and he looked like he was going to be sick. "It's going to be okay." I pulled him in for a hug and we could hear the fans' screams through our earpieces. 

"Chorus." He warned, pulling away from me. I nodded and stood next to him, finishing the song. 

When the music to 'C'mon C'mon' started playing I grabbed his bicep again and led him to the opposite side of the stage. 

"You're going to worry yourself sick, Harry." I said softly. We were doing our best to ignore the fans, who were eyeing us and only us. The other boys could've dropped dead at that moment and no one would have noticed. "Eleven songs until we do it. That's at least an hour, so stop worrying. I'm here and going through the exact same thing. I love you." I had my hand blocking my mouth from the crowd because I knew that some of them could read lips better than they could read a book. 

"I love you, Louis." He smiled, going in for another hug. This one lasted longer and we didn't even realize that we had missed all of our parts in the song. The boys had filled in for us, but it was embarrassing, nonetheless. 

We were finishing 'What Makes You Beautiful' when I started to feel queasy as well. Harry was singing so he had probably forgotten about it for at least a few seconds, but I barely sang in that song. My mind was racing and I had to sit down to keep from passing out. Niall sat down next to me and tried to act casual, but it was no use. There was obviously something up with Harry and I and the fans had certainly noticed. 

After I finished my part in 'You and I', I started walking toward Harry. 

'You and I  
We don't wanna be like them

We can make it 'til the end

No, nothing can come between

You and I

Not even the gods above

Could separate the two of us' 

The instrumentals started and Harry saw me next to him, his gulp clearly visible. I nodded and the rest was a blur. 

Our fingers intertwined and our lips were connecting and nothing else in the world mattered. There was a split second when the stadium was completely silent, but it soon erupted with shrieks. If the fans hadn't have been so loud, I honestly would have thought that the world had stopped spinning. Harry's hand moved to my jaw and he kept kissing me, Zayn hitting his high note in the background. 

I don't think Zayn's part was even audible compared to the screams of teenage girls in front of us, every single one of their eyes burning through Harry and I. I pinched his hip and we broke apart, staring at each other for a moment as if we were too afraid to face the audience. 

We were free. 

The boys had taken over Harry's part for the rest of the song because, honestly, Harry and I couldn't move. We were in shock. Nothing had seemed real until our eyes focused back on the screaming crowd and it was then that we realized how much our lives were going to change from that point on. 

We could walk down the street together without hiding.

We could kiss each other in public.

We could get married if we wanted to.

Management wasn't holding us back anymore and I hadn't felt that good in such a long time that it was almost overwhelming. 

I grinned at Harry and he beamed, dropping my hand and practically skipping across the stage. 

When we took our bow, Harry grabbed my hand again and Liam looked over at us, smiling. He held the microphone up to his mouth and I knew what was coming.

"I think you guys should give it up for Harry and Louis, here." 

I didn't even know that voices could reach the levels that they did. 

No one was shooting at us or trying to get us annihilated. They were accepting us and I couldn't have been any happier. 

"I love you, Louis." Harry said into the microphone. Another wave of screams came through and Harry blushed. 

"You know that I fucking love you too, Harry." I countered. The other three boys looked like their faces hurt from smiling so much and I knew that we needed to get off of that stage before I sucked Harry off in front of thousands of teenage girls. 

Once we were off of the stage, I practically yanked Harry into the dressing room and locked the door behind us. 

"Take your pants off right now." I demanded, ignoring the other boys complaints. 

"God, we can hear you!" Zayn yelled through the door. I rolled my eyes and watched as Harry kicked his pants off, his cheeks flushed. 

"You're amazing. Incredible. Beautiful. I'm so fucking in love with you." I walked over to him and pushed him against the side of the couch before dropping to my knees. 

"Lou-"

"Shut up, Harry. Can't wait to suck you off." I kissed the bulge in his black boxers and he was barely hard, but certainly working on it. 

"C-can I fuck your mouth?" He asked. I was getting turned on just by the whole idea of what was taking place, but his words were excruciating. I'd only let him fuck my mouth on two other occasions, simply because I hated it.   
But right now that was the only thing that I wanted. 

"Until you come so hard that you can't fucking stand." I said, biting my lip. He shut his eyes and gripped the armrest of the couch before I pulled his boxers down his legs. He was half-hard by now, but I still took all of him into my mouth. 

Giving blow jobs for eight months does wonderful things to your gag reflex. Mine was almost nonexistent. 

He started thrusting into my mouth as I gripped the back of his thighs, his fingers tugging on my hair. My tongue would lap over him every once in a while and he would shudder each time. I loved the way he responded to me. 

There was a knock on the door but I kept going. 

"My phone's in there, guys." Niall whined from the hall. "Let me in for like, two seconds."

"Fuck off, Niall." Harry said, his voice strained as his hips bucked into me. He let out a groan and I was certain that Niall had heard it but neither of us cared. The only thing on my mind was getting Harry to come so fucking hard that he collapsed on top of me. 

"Guys." Niall groaned. His voice was slightly muffled but we could still hear the irritation in it. 

"Niall, go away." Harry yelled, his fingertips digging into my shoulders. Couldn't the man take a hint?

"So close." He whispered, biting his lip. His eyes were clamped shut and I hollowed my cheeks around him. A few more bobs of my head and he was shuddering and moaning my name before completely falling onto the couch. I continued moving my mouth so that he could ride out his orgasm, finishing with a kiss on his tip. 

I pulled his boxers up and kissed him on the lips before walking over to the door and opening it angrily. 

"What?" I asked, annoyed. Niall's eyes went behind me to where Harry was laying and he sort of shrunk into himself. 

"Need my phone." He said simply, brushing past me and into the room. "The lads are looking on Twitter at what all of the fans are saying and I want to see it as well. Apparently most of the fans are ecstatic. 

He passed Harry on the couch and picked up his phone. On his way back to the door he crouched down next to Harry (who was still recovering) and patted his shoulder. 

"Hang in there, buddy. You look dead." 

"I think I'm broken." He mumbled, opening his eyes and glaring at me. "You've broken me." 

"That was my plan." I grinned, walking over and sitting next to his head. "I'll carry you out of the stadium if you need me to. We're leaving soon, aren't we?" 

"Yeah, car's here. We've been waiting on you two." Niall sighed, standing up. "I'll tell the boys that we're ready to leave, then. No more breaking each other. Neither of you can die before the tour ends." He joked, walking into the hallway. 

I looked down at Harry and he lazily smiled up at me, his expression looking quite relaxed. 

"I'll take you up on that carrying offer. I'm kind of heavy though." He chuckled, poking my side. 

"Nothing I can't handle. Get on my back." I stood up and waited for him to get on me, but he didn't. "Harry." 

"You're so tiny, Lou. I don't want to crush you." 

"Get on my fucking back or I'm not sharing a bed with you tonight." Almost immediately his weight was on me and he wasn't kidding. He did weigh a lot more than I had remembered. "Jesus, fuck." I cursed under my breath before walking out of the room and eventually out of the small building. We made it just outside of the stadium before I had to put him down, but I quickly took his hand. 

There was paparazzi everywhere.   
"Nothing can come between you and I, got it?" Harry asked squeezing my hand. I nodded and we walked with our heads down and to the car. 

We were free.


	28. Epilogue

Louis' P.O.V.

"Can't believe she's one already, mate." Zayn said to me, his son, Reese, at his side. Zayn and Perrie had had Reese three years earlier, shortly after the band split. The fans were devastated but we knew that our time had come. With half of us getting married and one of us having a child, we knew that our 'boy band' days were over. 

"I know. Is there any way to reverse growth?" I chuckled, looking over at Harry who was crouching down next to the high chair. 

Our daughter, Essex, was about to 'blow out' the candle for her first birthday and I was in charge of filming it. Harry insisted on blowing out the candle for her so I reluctantly took over the camera duties. 

Harry and I had gotten married nearly two years earlier after I proposed to him while we were cleaning around the house. 

*Flashback*

I had the ring in my pocket and my heart was basically in my throat. Harry had no idea that I was going to propose but I knew that it was finally the right time. 

I moved the couch while pretending to vacuum under it then smiled to myself before calling Harry into the room.

"Yeah?" He asked, a fucking duster in his hand. I pretended to pull the ring off of the floor then gave him a confused stare.

"I just found this ring under the couch." I said nonchalantly. He stepped closer to examine it and I held it out to him. 

"Whose could it be?" He had absolutely no idea what was actually happening so I went for it. 

"Well, it'll be yours if you'll say yes when I ask you to marry me." His face flushed and his mouth dropped open as I grinned, moving onto one knee. "What do you think, love? Will you marry me?" He just stood there for a few seconds and I started to panic, wondering if I was rushing things. We had only been dating for a year and a half, after all. 

"Of course I will, Lou." He crouched down in front of me and tackled me to the floor in a hug, giggling like crazy. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

*End of flashback* 

"I wish there was, man. Reese told Perrie to fuck off today." He laughed, watching Harry and Essex as well. 

Liam and Niall were stood at the corner of the table talking, while their wives, Sophia and Barbara, chattered on about Sophia's incoming baby. She was five months pregnant and Liam was over the moon with excitement, the idea of him having a child making him prouder than ever. 

Niall and Barbara had just tied the knot two months earlier, so children were at least another year away, if not more. 

"Are we ready to sing 'happy birthday'?" Harry asked before I could respond to Zayn. 

"Yes!" Reese exclaimed, making the whole room burst into laughter. Just as the laughter died down, Eleanor and Levi came through the front door, Eleanor looking a bit frazzled. 

"We thought you weren't coming!" I laughed, looking down as Levi raced past me and to Reese. They were the same age and were clearly friends. 

"Levi had a late nap and wouldn't cooperate and Stan wasn't home to help. I'm so sorry. I'm here though!" She came and stood next to me, smiling over at Harry who was lighting the candle on the cake. 

Eleanor and Stan lived together, but were nowhere near getting married. Dating was as far as either of them had wanted to go and apparently it was going to stay that way for a while. 

"Go on, now!" Eleanor exclaimed, ushering Harry to begin the birthday festivities. He shrugged and I nodded at him, encouraging him as well. 

Everyone in the room chorused 'happy birthday' and at the end of the song, Harry coaxed Essex into trying to blow out the candle. She just pouted and looked to Harry for guidance. 

"Daddy can't do everything for you, you know. You need to move out at some point." Harry joked, extinguishing the flame. Everyone cheered and Essex even managed to childishly clap her hands and giggle. 

After cutting the cake and everyone happily receiving their slices, Harry and I sat down on either side of Essex. 

"One." Harry said, looking at me with that stupid trademark smirk of his. He shook his head and took a bite of his cake, watching me out of the corner of his eye. 

"See, we aren't horrible parents. She lived to see her first birthday. You were convinced that we'd kill her before she was six months old." I snorted, reaching over to wipe off Essex's arm, which had somehow been smeared with purple icing. She was eating her cake with her hands and was an absolute mess. 

"Hey... my track record with children isn't exactly squeaky clean." 

"Okay, so you fell down the stairs while carrying someone else's kid one time. You even fell on your bum, so it's not like you smashed the kid's face in." 

"She's going to be the most dramatic child alive with parents like us, you know that, right?" Harry laughed, brushing her blonde hair off of her face. 

"'Course I know that. You really think that someone I've raised isn't going to be dramatic? You're out of your gourd." 

"Don't listen to your dad. He's full of shit." Harry whispered to Essex. 

"Her first word is going to be profanity, I just know it." I muttered, grinning at my wonderful husband. 

"We'll remember it, though. My mum only remembers my first word because it was boobs." I dropped my fork on my plate and raised my eyebrows.

"And yet you married someone without them. Funny how things work out, innit?" Harry shoved me from across the table and Essex giggled then smeared icing on Harry's arm. It was my turn to laugh at that one. 

"He deserved that, didn't he?" I chuckled, looking at Essex. She nodded and continued licking the pure sugar from her hands. 

"You guys are fucking gross." Niall said from the other end of the table. I had completely forgotten that other people were in our home, being too wrapped up in my perfect little family to care. 

"Actually, we're still one of Hollywood's cutest couples. You can take that information and shove it up your ass." I retorted smugly. Harry grinned at me and I made a kissy face, the other half of the table groaning. 

"And Pez and I wonder where Reese is learning all of this language. Good lord, guys." Zayn mumbled. We just laughed and shrugged, accepting the fact that most of our children would grow up hearing quite a bit of profanity. 

Although the band had broken up, we were still a great social group. The bantering was the exact same as it had been during the One Direction days and I really hoped that it would stay that way for a long time. I had a feeling that that would be the case.

"You're going to turn out just fine." I heard Harry whisper to our daughter. A smile crept onto my face and I couldn't help but admire how great Harry looked as a father. Well, he was a great father. He nearly had a breakdown on our first night with Essex, saying how he wasn't fit to be a parent and how badly he would mess things up. I thought we ended up fucking, but I wasn't sure. 

Seeing our group together and our daughter a year old already was making me a tad emotional. I excused myself from the table before going into the kitchen and leaning against the counter, gripping the edge of it with my hands. Not even a minute later, Harry had his arms wrapped around my waist, his face pressed against the back of my neck. 

"What's wrong, love?" He asked quietly, pressing a kiss just below my hairline. 

"Just a little overwhelmed." I forced a laugh and Harry hugged me tighter. "Our daughter is one already and everything is just sort of surreal right now." 

"What are you going to do when she goes away to university?" Harry chuckled. 

"I don't even want to think about that right now. I'm just glad that everything worked out, you know? We could've fucked everything up a few years ago and we wouldn't have any of this. I hate thinking about a life without you and the other boys." 

"You need to stop worrying about things in the past that didn't even take place." Harry said, his voice a bit firmer. "We have this great life now with a beautiful daughter and fucking great friends. I'd just like to think about that outcome, okay?" I nodded and I felt him smile against me. "You know what I always used to say." 

I rolled my eyes and laced our fingers together, turning around to face him. 

"Nothing can come between you and I." I said for the hundredth time in my life. 

"And guess what?" Harry said, beaming. "Nothing did."


End file.
